


Promises Delivered II - Forging The Future

by Desert Sunrise (sniderde92), Old_Gamer



Series: Chronicles of Samantha Shepard [8]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2019-11-07 09:06:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 111,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17957660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sniderde92/pseuds/Desert%20Sunrise, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Old_Gamer/pseuds/Old_Gamer
Summary: As an Asari Spectre, Shepard serves only the Galactic Council. Along with Liara and the crew of theKnight Shadeat her side, they use the combined power of the Shadow Broker and their new ally, Atlas, to resolve disputes galaxy-wide, starting with the looming Quarian Civil War. Format will be a series of story arcs with possible one-shots to fill gaps between time jumps.





	1. Losing Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> **Notes:**  And we're back! Hope we didn't make you wait too long...
> 
> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
> ECLSS - Environment Control and Life Support System
> 
> Salarato - Turian military rank for staff or highly technical positions, rough equivalent to Human warrant officer w/ ranks 1-4

**_Normandy_ ** **SR2, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 7 Nov 2188**

Council Spectre Ashley Williams was enjoying a cup of coffee and a sweet roll in the Mess Area on Deck Three.  Edi and Joker had successfully trailed the _Nalotir_ back to the rogue Quarian flotilla, currently on the far side of the star at the center of the Tassrah System.  The _Normandy’s_ long-range scans had recorded the vessel decloaking as it approached Admiral Han’Gerral’s flagship, the _Neema_.  The _Nalotir_ had subsequently docked within the _Neema,_ where it stayed for just over 12 hours – a period of time Ashley and XO Leon Rensch felt was sufficient to unload whatever cargo she carried and allow her crew to rest while the _Neema’s_ technicians inspected and serviced the suspect vessel for its next foray.

She had just downed the rest of her coffee when she received a call from Edi.  “The _Nalotir_ has emerged from the _Neema’s_ cargo hold, Commander, and immediately transitioned to FTL.  I believe she is on course for Ishassara to take on hydrogen, and the planet is extremely close to the relay, Ma’am.  I would suggest we set course to arrive between the relay and the planet and wait for her arrival.”

“Make it happen, Edi.  I’m on my way up to you now.”  After washing her cup, she took the elevator up to deck two; conferring with her XO as she studied the galaxy map, she said softly, “We have to be ready to jump when they get here, Leon… and we’ll most likely have to take a guess as to where they’re going.”

“Flip a cred, Ma’am?”  Chuckling softly, he waved at the close-up depiction of the nebula; with a wry grin, he observed, “If they don’t use the relay, they could be heading for Typhon to raid Aite, or Salahiel to give the Elcor some grief on Ekuna.  Hard to predict… harder still to correct a destination error.  We guess wrong, they can raid either location and be out of the damned system before we can discover where they went.”  Shaking his head, he muttered, “Don’t see how in Hell they can continue to be so lucky.”

Ashley nodded grimly as she studied the galaxy map.  With a huff of discouraged acceptance, she nodded at Rensch’s assessment.  “Their run of good fortune cannot last forever, Leon.  Dammit, they’re stealing from honest folks just trying to get by after a galaxy-wide shit-storm.  I want to end this, preferably without having to destroy all of their ships.”  Shaking her head, she bounced the offside of her fist on top of the projector well guard rail and began walking towards the tactical passageway on her way to the bridge.  _Just have to take a little bit of their luck and use it for our own purposes._

\-------------------------------

Spectre Williams stood behind the navigator’s chair – currently occupied by an extremely busy Edi – and watched in fascination as the ship decloaked exactly where Edi had said it would.  “That’s really astounding, Edi… and such a waste.”

Edi stiffened slightly – if that was the correct description for her reaction – as she asked, “In what way, Commander?”

Ashley looked down as the visor-covered mechanical eyes turned up to gaze at her.  “Um, sorry, Edi.  Their method of cloaking that ship is astounding.  The _waste_ is the resources the Quarians expended to enable it in the first place.  Using that tech for defense is one thing… but now they’re only using it to enable their piracy.”

Her attention was diverted by Joker.  “Quarians are spooling up their FTL drive, Commander, and the relay appears to be responding… it’s reorienting for Sahrabarik.”

Turning towards the Flight Lieutenant, she asked, “Omega?  Seriously?”  After a moment’s pause, she said, “Let’s get on their tail, Joker.  Either of you care to guess where she’s going?”

Saying, “No way to be certain, Commander… just have to see where they go from there,” Joker busied himself with setting a course and following the _Nalotir_ as soon as it disappeared into the space-time corridor opened by the relay.

Edi’s opinion was a bit more reasoned.  “They’re only targeting Turian assets, Ma’am.  There is nothing for them to gain by staying in Sahrabarik – too many non-Turian vessels, military and civilian – plus the warships providing security for Omega Station.”

Glancing at a miniature projection of the CIC’s galaxy map, she added in a thoughtful tone, “The closest system of interest to them might be Sigurd’s Cradle… its relay is in the Skepsis system, which has a rebuilt fuel depot.  Once there, they can easily reach Triginta Petra in the Lenal System; at the end of the war, Turian agribusinesses there had a surplus of both plant- and animal-based food products for dextro-based organics.”  After a brief pause, she concluded, “I expect the animal-based products there have been depleted by the Turians.  However, plant-based rations, such as those favored by the Quarians, may still be in storage in sufficient quantities to attract the _Nalotir._

“Where might they go from there?”

Edi glanced at Joker as she replied, “I am reasonably sure they will avoid the Psi Tophet system, and none of the other star systems would be of any interest to them.”

Joker asked, “The Vallhallan Threshold, maybe?  Pre-War, the Quarians had a significant number of ships extracting fuel from Farlas, in the Micah System.  Otherwise, they’d have no obvious need to go there.”

Ashley said, “Perhaps we’re over-thinking this.  They could simply be traveling to Omega Station to barter or trade for goods they cannot produce for themselves.”

Joker laughed as he added, “Yeah… they’ll be trading in stolen merchandise.  Not very smart if they’re doing that right under Aria’s nose.”

“Maybe not smart but, by this time, they’re likely desperate… and that can make them dangerous.”  The Spectre shook her head as she turned to walk back to the CIC.

\-------------------------------

**_Normandy_ ** **SR2, _Nalotir_ Pursuit, At Large – 12 November 2188**

Ashley held her breath as she waited for a Sitrep from Edi.  They had followed the _Nalotir_ to Omega Station; even considering all the traffic flying between the relay and the station, and with no transponder signal being emitted, Edi was able to track the cloaked ship by following its unique heat signature.  “The Quarians have docked within the station’s transit moorage area, Commander.”

Joker had brought the _Normandy_ to a near standstill 6500 klicks away; activating his comms unit, he added, “We can monitor them from our current location, Ma’am.”

Ashley nodded her head as she quietly replied, “Still need to know where they intend to go when they leave the station.  Wish we had a tracker on their hull.”  The Spectre huffed in exasperation.  _Doesn’t do us a damned bit of good if we don’t have any idea where they’re gonna go next_.

Specialist Dubow looked up at the brooding woman, saying, “Ma’am?  I’ve been monitoring comms between the station’s computer and various ships requesting exit vectors.”

Ashley could see he had something, so replied, “Talk to me.”

“The Quarians may be pirates, but they have to interact with the station’s flight controllers just like anyone else.  They’ve just requested a vector back to the relay… they intend to go to the Shrike Abyssal, Ma’am.”

Ashley looked puzzled by the information for several moments before she brightened and replied, “Sounds as if they’re heading for the Thal System, Specialist; a chance to do a few more raids on some Turian freighters, perhaps?”

“That would be my guess, Ma’am.”

Williams touched the control on the comms device sitting in her right ear canal.  “Joker… the _Nalotir_ is getting ready to leave; Mr Dubow believes they’ll be heading for the Thal System in the Shrike Abyssal.  Keep an eye on the relay… with so much traffic, we’ll have to be riding that ship’s ass pretty hard when she goes through, otherwise we’ll be sitting here forever waiting for the damned thing to complete another realignment.”  Squeezing her temples between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, she muttered, “What a pain in the ass.”

\-------------------------------

The Quarian raider, having jumped from the Omega Nebula to the Hourglass Nebula, cloaked immediately upon entering the system and was loitering in the vicinity of the relay.  In order to avoid detection, Ashley masked the _Normandy’s_ identity by changing the transponder code to match that of the _MV Shun’fe-Thuut_ , a Salarian passenger vessel that had left Omega for the Eagle Nebula prior to the _Nalotir’s_ departure from the station’s transit moorage.

Then, to keep those aboard the _Nalotir_ from realizing they were being followed, she immediately requested that Joker accelerate away from the relay, apparently on a course for the Salarian colony world Erinle.  Ashley waited for Edi’s confirmation that they had escaped notice by the Quarians before having Joker turn the transponder off; they then slowed and changed course in a large, looping trajectory that would take the _Normandy_ back to the relay as Edi reported, “The relay is now aligned for transit to the Shrike Abyssal, Commander.”  After a brief pause, she added, “ _Nalotir_ has decloaked… the rings are spinning up for transit.”

Ashley responded, “Follow them, Joker, before the relay can return to standby mode.”

“Aye-aye, Ma’am.”

\-------------------------------

**_Normandy_ ** **SR2, _Nalotir_ Pursuit, Shrike Abyssal – 15 November 2188**

_Normandy_ had entered Xe Cha less than six minutes after the Quarian raider _Nalotir_ yet could detect no sign of the ship in the system, cloaked or not.  Ashley was only partially successful at keeping the concern from coloring her voice as she asked, “Edi?  Joker?  Where’d they go?”

Edi responded first, saying, “Searching for their heat signature, Ma’am.”  After several increasingly tense minutes, a pair of artificial eyes turned their nearly unblinking stare to the Spectre’s face as she reported, “I believe the _Nalotir_ departed this system within minutes of arriving from Osun.  Based on the trace evidence, their departure vector seems to agree with your theory the Quarians are going to Thal.”

Turning towards Joker, Ashley said, “Set course and follow, Joker – scan the system the instant we’re flying in normal space, and make sure we’re running silent _before_ you drop from FTL.”  

\-------------------------------

**_Nalotir_ ** **, At Large, Shrike Abyssal – 15 November 2188**

Jeto’Zaedor vas _Nalotir_ slouched in his command chair as the fast-attack frigate entered Xe Cha.  “Engage cloak, set course for the Thal system, and get us there as fast as possible.”  Receiving verbal acknowledgments from his pilot, navigator and weapons control officer, he sat up a bit straighter.  He was a long way from home, something that made him uncomfortable – not that he would ever admit to it.

He and his small crew had been hand-picked for this mission by Han’Gerrel vas Neema, Admiral of the Heavy Fleet; to date, the _Nalotir_ had made a number of very successful raids, mostly on Turian ships.  Once their victim’s engines and ECLSS were rendered non-operational through the use of the targeted-beam weapon designed by Daro’Xen vas Moreh, Jeto’s crew led the boarding of the disabled vessel and killed the crew, then called in freighter support to transfer the ship’s cargo.  Once the freighter arrived, the _Nalotir_ would depart, having remained cloaked the entire time to deny anyone’s visual identification of the ship as Quarian.  They were extremely efficient, so the victims’ panicked comms requests for aid never produced assistance before the Quarian raiders were well on their way to another system, their cargo hold fully loaded with everything they could carry.

Jeto turned towards navigator Laelu’Vulin.  “Alert me when we leave Xe Cha, Vulin, and then again when we reach the outer edge of Thal.”  Rising from his command chair, he stepped up beside Weapons Control Lieutenant Rusin’Fosal, saying, “Keep scanning for other vessels, Rusin, especially behind us.  I don’t like being so far from backup; even though I believe in the invisibility of this ship, it’s a technology that can malfunction without warning.”  He began moving for the passageway hatch as he concluded, “No matter how silently we run this ship, equipment can… and will fail, unexpectedly, with possibly catastrophic results.”

Turning to face his bridge crew, he said, “I’ll be in the galley getting a bite to eat,” then turned and left.

\-------------------------------

**_Normandy_ ** **SR2, Thal System, Shrike Abyssal – 16 November 2188**

The Spectre frigate had just entered a high orbit of Altakiril when specialist Dubow paged Commander Williams.  “I’m picking up a distress call from a Turian freighter, Ma’am… the _MSV Spirito’s Nimet_.  They’re under attack, a quarter-million klicks from Altakiril…”

“What’s their status, Specialist?” 

“Unknown, Ma’am.  Their distress message is being continuously repeated at ten-second intervals – simply indicating an attack is in progress.”

Motioning to Joker and Edi, she said, “Get us there, now!”

Ashley braced herself as Joker gave her a clipped “Aye-aye,” and threw the _Normandy_ into a steep climbing trajectory away from the planet. 

In a matter of minutes, the _Normandy_ was within scanner range of _Spirito’s Nimet_ ; the freighter was within visual range seconds later.  “Any sign of the _Nalotir,_ Flight Lieutenant?  Edi?”

Edi answered for them both as Joker maneuvered _Normandy_ to stand off at a safe distance from the freighter, drifting slowly on what may have been its original course.  “The Quarians have left the area, Commander… perhaps to return to the planet, which I believe was their primary target.”

Activating her ear-mounted comlink, the Spectre spoke to Specialist Dubow.  “Contact that ship, Mr Dubow… tell them who we are, find out the extent of the damage, number of casualties…”

Dubow acknowledged her request; while she waited for his report, she inspected the results of Edi’s preliminary scans of the vessel.  _No hull breaches.  No scoring on their exterior… doesn’t appear as if they were touched._

Dubow’s voice, rich with concern, floated in on her comms.  “Main engines disabled, ECLSS damaged, Ma’am.  The Turians are attempting to regain control with maneuvering thrusters.”  Almost as an afterthought, he added, “They’ve terminated their distress message.”

“What about injuries… or casualties, Specialist?”

“No deaths reported, Ma’am.  A few of their people in engineering are suffering from severe headaches.”  After a brief pause, he continued with, “They’ve requested assistance, Ma’am.  It appears repairs to their propulsion systems may require a few parts they don’t have on board.”

“Okay, thanks, Specialist… continue monitoring their situation.”  _Headaches? What in Hell?…_

Touching her comlink to change its target, Ashley directed her next request to her number two.  “Commander Rensch, put together a damage control team for that ship… and be sure to include Curt Manos – he has a good understanding of alien propulsion systems.  Turians are pretty damned self-reliant, but we need to help them get underway; we certainly can’t leave them adrift out here.”

“Aye, Ma’am.”

“And Mr Rensch?  I want to know what kind of weapon the Quarians used to disable that ship… and how it managed to induce headaches in those people.”  Ashley frowned as she continued, “I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s the damned energy weapon Tali and Judea have been attempting to find a counter-measure for.  Next time I speak with Councilor Tevos, I’ll ask her to check on their progress and have them send me an update.”

“We’ll get the _Spirit_ back on her way, Ma’am, and obtain whatever answers we can.”  Even though Ashley couldn’t see him, Rensch gave a brief nod and added hopefully, “And, just maybe, we’ll find the missing piece Tali and Judea need to solve their little mystery.” 

\-------------------------------

**_MSV Spirito’s Nimet_ ** **, Thal System, Shrike Abyssal – 16 November 2188**

Captain Octaso Savernake warmly greeted and welcomed the damage control team from the _Normandy_ ; looking intently at Lieutenant Commander Rensch, he said, “I don’t know what would have happened… what we would have done, if you hadn’t arrived when you did.”  Glancing at the men standing behind the _Normandy_ _’s_ XO, he added, “I just hope you can repair our propulsion and life support systems sufficiently to enable a safe return to our home world.”

“Did they board your ship, Captain Savernake?”

“Strangest thing, Commander.  Once we were disabled, they moved in close, as if they were going to… but they didn’t.  Instead, they just sat there, making us sweat for fifteen minutes or so before turning tail.  Based on the freighter’s departure trajectory, I believe they’re making a run on Altakiril.”

“Wait… a freighter? …”

“That’s correct, Commander… a damned freighter – LADAR painted it as configured virtually identically to this one, so… Turian.”  Shaking his head, Octaso used sub-harmonics to convey his disbelief that his own people had attacked him.  “Ship didn’t appear to have any external weaponry… not even a damned missile launcher.  I’ve heard that other freighters have been hit out here but never would have expected the pirates to be Turian.”

“Don’t be so sure your own people are targeting you just because it’s a Turian ship.  It wouldn’t be the first time a pirate captain commandeered someone else’s ship as an upgrade… or a smoke shield to hide their true identity… particularly since they didn’t board you.”  Rensch nodded encouragingly.  “But it sounds like they either scanned your ship and figured there were too many of you to take on… or, you were set up as a diversion and now they’re raiding someone else while we’re busy helping you.” 

After a brief pause, Rensch sighed and shook his head before adding, “If you would, please have one of your crew show my propulsion engineer and his assistants to your engineering department… hopefully, they can assist your people in getting your engines running again.”  Looking back at his team, he said, “See what can be done to get these people safely on their way, Mr Manos.”

The Turian captain nodded as he motioned for Salarato Albaso to lead the Humans to the lower level; after waiting for Manos and his team to leave, Rensch returned his attention to Savernake, saying, “What about the people suffering from severe headaches, Captain?  How many, and were there no other physical injuries among your crew?”

Octaso motioned for Rensch to precede him down a short passageway as he replied, “Crew compliment on the _‘Spirit’_ is quite small, Commander… those suffering the most, including Salarato Albaso, were in the engineering compartments during the attack.  It’s almost as if…” he paused outside a small compartment and motioned for Rensch to enter.  “My quarters, such as they are.  As I seriously doubt you can safely drink any spirits I may have on board, may I offer you some water?”

Rensch offered his thanks as he declined.  Reminding the captain of his observations regarding the attack, he asked, “You must have served in the military during the war, Captain.  Do you suppose that ship was using some kind of directed-energy weapon?”

Flaring his mandibles in surprise, he looked at his desk for several moments before returning his steady gaze to Rensch’s eyes.  “Those crewmen were on their knees at their work stations, Commander.  They were holding their crests and groaning from the pain, and there wasn’t a mark on ’em… any of them.  Crew further from the engineering area suffered least.  I’ve never heard of anything like this.”

“Sounds like a damned effective weapon, Captain.  Disable propulsion and environmental, plus render ineffective the very people needed to put things right again.”  After a brief pause, Rensch asked, “Are the affected crewmen all back to normal, Captain?  Even though she’s Human, our ship’s doctor is quite knowledgeable concerning multiple species’ physiology.  We could bring her over, have her check those crew that were affected the most?”

Captain Octaso spread his mandibles in an expression that Rensch had come to recognize as a Turian smile.  “Your offer is most generous, Commander, but she would need several years of practical, first-hand experience in treating Turians.  I don’t expect she would…”

Leon raised his hands as he interrupted.  “Actually, Dr Chakwas spent the entire war on the _Normandy_.  She learned about Turians the hard way, treating Garrus Vakarian every time he returned from a ground mission chewed up by enemy fire.”  With a chuckle, Rensch added, “Vakarian was usually watching Commander Shepard’s six – as she was generally drawing the most fire from whatever enemy force she was attempting to eliminate, Garrus caught a great deal of the fire directed at her.”

Octaso’s look of amazement was quickly replaced by a respectful expression as he said, “Spirits!  I had completely forgotten about General Vakarian’s time on your ship, Commander.  I will speak with my second… ask if any crewmen are experiencing after-effects from the attack.”

Rensch smiled and nodded just as his omnitool lit-up and chimed.  “Excuse me, Captain… I need to answer this.”  The Turian rose to leave, only to waved back down by the commander as he activated his omnitool.  “You may think of something more while I’m speaking with Spectre Williams, Captain.”

In response to Ashley’s inquiries concerning the freighter, Rensch filled her in on what he had learned, concluding with the theory that the _Nalotir_ had used _Spirito’s Nimet_ as a diversion for a strike against its real target, Altakiril.

“I agree with you, Commander.  I’ll have Dubow check comms on the planet… see if anyone is reporting an attack.”  Ashley’s voice rang with disappointment as she continued, “I’d like to continue the pursuit, but I don’t suppose getting _Spirito’s Nimet_ operational again is going to happen anytime soon, is it?”

“Not fast enough for that, Ma’am.”  Rensch huffed in frustration, sharing her displeasure over the lost opportunity.  “I’ll go below and see how Mr Manos and his team is doing…  I’ll report in as soon as we have an estimated completion time.”

\-------------------------------

**_Normandy_ ** **SR2, At Large, Shrike Abyssal – 17 November 2188**

Reading Rensch’s report made Ashley’s head hurt.  Massaging her temples between thumb and fingers of one hand, she used the other to take a sip of coffee from the mug that seemed to be her constant companion these days.  “Goddamned Quarians are making this difficult, Leon.  They’re really organized, dammit, much more so than we realized… though I should have expected it!  They _have_ to be meticulous, or their race would have perished a long time ago.”

“I know,” answered Rensch.  In Ashley’s private quarters, the two were much more relaxed in their conversations than they ever would be in front of the crew.  “Here we thought it was independent raiders, and it turns out they have fucking Marine teams on standby in freighters, waiting for the _Nalotir_ to disable their next victim.  It sure explains how they’ve been so fast in transloading what they steal… and why we are never able to catch the _Nalotir_ in the act.”

“Fast strike to disable the ship and incapacitate the crew, transfer the cargo, and they’re gone… leaving the ‘Turian pirate’ freighter to take the blame for the attack, since that’s all the target vessel sees.”  Ashley shook her head.  “Pretty damned smart.”

“I think we’re going to need some help.”  Rensch met the Spectre’s eyes.  “We simply can’t monitor all the sectors at the same time; we need to figure out where the damned freighters are based… or, at the very least, where they’re ducking in to transfer the stolen cargo.  They’re not nearly fast enough to travel between systems undetected.”

“Yes,” Williams nodded in agreement.  “And I’m really beginning to wonder if the _Nalotir_ is the only stealth ship the Quarians are using for piracy.  They seem to be hitting too many locations, all of them light-years apart, for it to be the work of just one vessel…”

“That would make sense.”  Leon gulped down the last of the liquid in his tumbler.  “Which means we have work… a _lot_ of work… yet to do before we can catch the bastards.”

“Yeah.”  Ashley yawned as they both stood up.  “Try to get some sleep… maybe then, at least, one of us will be rested.”  With a wry chuckle, she added, “I’m sure as Hell not getting much sleep these days; trying to come up with some plan to catch them in the act is keeping me up nights.”

“Me too, Ma’am.”  Leon turned towards the door and started walking as he repeated, “Me too.”

\-------------------------------

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 20 Nov 2188**

A pair of eyes, barely visible beneath a tangle of hair, slipped open as narrowly as possible and struggled to focus on the chrono display sitting some 45-50 centimeters from her pillow.  A hand, fingers spread wide, slowly emerged from beneath the covers in an attempt to ‘comb’ the majority of the lush, brown hair away from her eyes.  Task complete, the hand silently retreated back into the cocoon of warmth under which its owner had been sleeping.  Eventually able to focus on the softly glowing numbers – 0423 – the eyes reclosed as the woman, sheet and quilts pulled high enough to cover most of her head, attempted to return to her dreams.

She was just drifting off to sleep when a jolt in the lower left portion of her swollen belly was sharp enough to awaken her.  Placing a hand on the bare skin where she’d felt the movement, she pressed lightly and waited.  Within minutes, she was poked twice more.  _Damn.  Is this how it’s going to be?_ she wondered.  _Another 15 to 18 weeks of disturbed sleep?  Suppose I should get used to it_ … _once they’re born, uninterrupted sleep will be a thing of the past for me._   She chuckled softly, shaking her head at where her mind next went.   _Two babies.  Babes.  They’ll be about as bothersome together as Kenneth was after he proposed_ … _before our marriage.  Those four weeks_ … _sleeping together in the environmental compartment on deck three_ … _the man was insatiable!_  The exceedingly pleasant memories brought a tickle of warm desire to her core.  _My God!  I miss him so much, it actually hurts!_   She wiped away a single tear that had escaped to travel down her cheek towards her ear.  _Damn hormones!_    

Gabriela Donnelly had been on the CGC for just over 3 months.  In that short span of time, her trim form had blossomed as the life inside her womb grew in size.  Her obstetrician, Dr Kathryn Walsh, had discovered during one of Gabby’s routine checkups that the mother-to-be was carrying twins, a discovery that brought equal measures of joy and sadness – while she was elated that she had conceived two babies with Kenneth, she was quite sad at her inability to share the good news with him; her husband was still a systems engineer on the _Normandy_ , currently comms out while clandestinely monitoring the Quarian situation somewhere in the area of the Far Rim.

When she awoke again – after a pleasant dream about the wedding reception on Thessia – it was 0656.  Time to crawl out of her cozy nest of sheet, comforter, and quilts.  It would have ordinarily been a work day, but her department supervisor had given her the day off in recognition of her 33rd birthday.  _Just another reason to miss Kenneth… Hell, everyone!  All my shipmates on the_ _Normandy_.

Standing beside the bed, she grabbed and pulled on an oversized sweatshirt to ward off the chill of her bedroom; after voiding her bladder – something she needed to do with ever-increasing frequency these days – she used a dampened washcloth to gently scrub the sleep from her face, brushed her hair into some semblance of order, then pulled on clean underpants and socks before stepping into a pair of comfortable bottoms that matched her top.  Glancing at herself in a full-length mirror, she cupped the lower portion of her belly with both hands.  _Wonder if Kenneth would still think I’m beautiful if he could see me right now_ …

With a heavy sigh, she made her way into her compact kitchen to make a bit of breakfast for herself.  Setting a pot of water to boil, she made a serving of oatmeal and two slices of toast while she waited.  Once the water was hot enough, she made a cup of tea, having sworn off coffee – alcohol as well – at least for the duration of her pregnancy.

While she drank her tea and ate, she used the small reader on her counter to check the news feeds.  As an Alliance member, she had access to a bit more data than the average citizen; she first checked on what was being reported from the Far Rim – looking for any and all information about the Quarian situation and what was being done by the Galactic Council.  Gabby always found the dearth of news a bit disturbing, but also guessed that if anything really bad had occurred, she’d be told about it at work.

With breakfast done and dishes cleaned up and put away, Gabby moved to her small living room for her morning ‘walk’; one of the things Dr Walsh had recommended for Gabby’s health was a heavy-duty treadmill.  Knowing she was carrying twins, the doctor had insisted that Gabby record the frequency and duration of her use of the machine; she was attempting to keep her patient from gaining excessive weight during the pregnancy, telling her that losing any net gain after she gave birth would be difficult, given the sedentary nature of her job.

Gabby thought of this as she walked, then jogged slowly on the machine… attempting to keep her heart rate at a steady 145 beats per minute.  Gabby’s hormones were playing havoc with her emotions; learning she had gained nearly 5 kilograms since the end of June had her weeping in Dr Walsh’s office.  The doctor had held her hands and told her what she was experiencing was perfectly normal and expected, especially with twins.

Even though only 30 minutes into her work out on the treadmill, Gabby was forced to quit.  _Is the extra weight really making me so tired?_   After resting for a bit, she stripped out of her clothes and took a warm shower to wash off the sweat; upon slipping into some loose-fitting clothing and a comfortable pair of shoes, she grabbed her shoulder bag and left to do a bit of shopping.

\-------------------------------

Taking a bit longer to complete her shopping than planned, Gabby had hastily returned to her apartment in order to put her groceries away – something she wouldn’t have bothered to do if not for the few items needing refrigeration – then left again, this time carrying a swimsuit and towels in a shoulder bag.

She walked the short distance to the enlisted personnel swimming pool; Dr Walsh had prescribed regular visits to the pool, two or three times a week, as it was a low-impact way for her to exercise that was more beneficial than using her treadmill.  Despite the fact she didn’t like the way she looked in the one-piece suit, she had decided being uncomfortable about her appearance wasn’t nearly as important as the health benefits she received from swimming a number of laps on the recommended schedule.

After an hour – with short breaks – of swimming slow laps, Gabby left the pool for the showers, got dressed and walked back to her apartment.  It was mid-afternoon when she walked through her door; after hand-washing her swimsuit and hanging it in the bathroom to dry, she looked at her comms terminal and discovered a short message from Tamiko, her new friend in the research center.  The Senior CPO wanted to drop by after she was done with work, saying in her message that no one should be alone on their birthday.  Gabby, still feeling lonely here after spending so much time with the crew of the _Normandy_ , sent a reply assuring Ms Miyazaki she was welcome to come by – she could even stay for a light dinner.

\-------------------------------

Gabby, having taken a quick shower – her third of the day – toweled her body off and pulled on some fresh clothes; after another walk/jog on her treadmill, the slight amount of sweat she’d produced had dried on her skin, and she knew she’d never get a decent night’s sleep if she didn’t rinse it off.

Going to the small counter next to her kitchen, she set out plates and utensils for dinner with Tamiko, who had insisted on stopping at a nearby restaurant to buy a meal for each of them.  Gabby had not asked, and Tamiko had not volunteered to tell her what they would be eating; Gabby trusted that her friend was very aware of her dietary requirements.  Her early morning nausea had passed at about the ten-week mark, but her system was still a bit sensitive… just the thought – never mind the actual odor – of Ken eating his beloved haggis was nearly enough to set her off.

She was ready to pour a bit of wine for her guest – water was all Gabby would be having – when the entry request chimed.  With a few steps, Gabby was at the door and opening it wide for a grinning Tamiko, who had her hands and arms full of two or three bags seemingly overflowing with a number of small containers.  With a giggle, Tamiko said, “Hope Chinese is okay, Gabby.”

Gabby grinned right back.  Saying, “I love Chinese… come in!  Do you need a hand?” she stepped back while reaching for one of the bags.

“Thanks,” Tamiko replied as she released her grip on the bag.  “I should have brought a hover cart to carry all this.”

Gabby led the way to her dining area, saying, “I was just about to pour some wine for you.”  She set the bag on the counter and pulled two take-out boxes from within.  “Smells wonderful!”

Tamiko set two more bags down on the counter, saying, “There’s a complete dinner for each of us, with some sides that we can share.  I don’t expect you’ll be able to eat that much, so I’ll leave the leftovers with you for lunch or dinner tomorrow.”

“That’s not really fair to you, Tammi… there’s too much food here for just one person… it’d most likely spoil before I could finish it all.  You’ll need to take some home with you as well.”

“But you’re eating for three, right?”

Gabby replied with a chuckle, “That may be, but my stomach fills up so much quicker these days, I have to eat more frequently than before.”  Sitting on one of the stools in front of the counter, she poured the glass of wine Tamiko’s arrival had interrupted, then set their dinners out.

“Chop sticks?”  Tamiko slid a package to Gabby, who opened it and began wielding them as she’d been taught.  As she enjoyed her Bar-b-que Pork, Sweet & Sour Chicken and Pork Fried Rice, Tamiko dug into her Pork Chow Mein, Sweet & Sour Pork and Fried Shrimp.  In addition, there was an appetizer plate containing BBQ Pork, Egg Roll, Crab Puff, and Fried Shrimp, with red and yellow dipping sauces and sesame seeds; this had Gabby really longing for the taste of a cold beer to wash it all down.

“I’m a bit surprised at the availability of all this, Tammi, especially the shrimp… what’s the source of the restaurant’s food?”

Tamiko’s giggle was infectious.  “It’s split between Earth for the beef and pork, and Sur’Kesh for the shrimp.  Veggies are harvested on Earth and Eden Prime, depending on the seasons for each world.”  She was going to say more, but she stopped short at a grimace from Gabby.  Looking at her friend closely, she thought she could detect a trace of pain being reflected in her dark brown eyes.  “Gabby? … Is everything okay?”

Rubbing her swollen belly with one hand, she used the other to bring up her glass for a sip of water; setting the glass down, she slowly got to her feet and took the few steps needed to reach her chair as she replied softly, “Don’t know, Tammi.  They’ve just recently begun moving around a bit, and I just got an intense stab of pain on the right side, up high; feels like I just got kicked in the liver.”  She sat down and put her feet up as she waited to see if there was going to be a repeat.

“If you're done eating, Gabby, I can put all this away…”

“Nonsense.  Finish eating your dinner, Tammi… I’ll be…” she grimaced again.  “Damn!  That one really hurt.”

Tamiko brought up her omnitool.  “I’m calling Dr Walsh for you, Gabby.  We don’t want to take any chances with your health, or that of your babies.”

Gabby nodded her head.  “I suppose that would be best.”

\-------------------------------

Tamiko had accompanied Gabby to her OB/GYN’s nearby office; after checking her over, Dr Walsh had told Gabby that – despite being poked in the liver by a tiny fist or foot – everything was just fine.  “I know it doesn’t feel good, Ms Donnelly, but it’s to be expected.  There’s not a lot of room in there for one baby, much less two.”

Gabby had rolled her eyes at that statement.  While walking the short distance back to her apartment, she confided to Tamiko, “Kenneth doesn’t realize how lucky he is to still be on the _Normandy_ … I really wish I could give him a hug… then punch him for knocking me up.”

Tamiko looked surprised.  “Thought you said your implanted contraceptive device failed.  You cannot blame Kenneth for an equipment failure neither of you were aware of,” she stated.

Shaking her head ruefully, Gabby chuckled as she readily admitted, “You’re right, Tammi.  I’d have to kiss ’im to make up… _after_ I punched ’im.”  Still chuckling, she opened the door to her apartment and waved Tamiko in ahead of her.  “I’ll put a kettle on so we can have some tea.”

Tamiko’s face was overtaken by a devilish grin.  “And _I’ll_ slice a piece of cake for each of us!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** And here we are with ‘Forging The Future’!  Thanks to all for being patient as we got ourselves organized for this next segment!  We certainly hope you continue to enjoy the ongoing saga of the Chronicles of Samantha Shepard... even if you didn't see our favorite couple in the first chapter. Have no fear... they'll be here soon!


	2. Establishing a Rhythm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
>  _Grá mo chroí_ _-_ love of my heart (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Mea're_ _-_ “new tribal sister”, to address a tribal sister of a loved person (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
>  _Samhain_  - Gaelic festival marking end of harvest season and beginning of winter or "darker half" of year. Traditionally celebrated 31 Oct - 1 Nov as Celtic day began and ended at sunset.
> 
>  _Siame_ \- "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 21 Nov 2188**

While the _Normandy_ had continued pursuing the _Nalotir_ across the galaxy, the entire crew of the _Knight Shade_ had relaxed at the Estate for the three days over the _Samhain_ holiday weekend.  Bright and early the very next Monday morning, they were all up and at it; from that moment on, the follow-on investigation into the many leads provided by the information secured at Commander McKay’s residence took only three weeks to complete. 

By the time they were done, the various law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation ended up arresting forty-two people.  Twenty-seven of them were part of the staff working in the headquarters; of these, all but three were on the preliminary list of fifty-plus persons of interest Liara and her team had assembled at the very beginning of the inquiry… as well as an additional fifteen within the ranks of Terra Firma and their more unsavory associates, Douglas Walker being only one of the names included on the final list.

Unlike Walker and Klein, most had little to do with the actual assassinations; yet, all of them had been charged with some form of ‘support’ crimes, such as aiding and abetting, and accessory to the assassinations, depending on the depth of their involvement.  Shepard provided the finalized list to Atlas, telling Zoë, “I hesitate to give this to you with such vague instruction, but I have come to trust your judgment… and I need to know that all of these conspirators will be punished.  If, by some chance and legal maneuvering of a high-paid lawyer, _any_ of these people escape official punishment for their criminal behavior, I leave it to you to deal with – appropriately – under our existing arrangement.”  Shepard’s expression turned darker as she quietly added, “That goes especially for Charles Saracino, Zoë.”

“Understood, Spectre.”  The woman had nodded as the list was transmitted to her omnitool and then continued, “And thank you for trusting me… and Atlas.  I promise you, each punishment will be appropriate for the level of their crimes.  We have many ways to make their lives a living Hell.  They just may end up begging us to kill them; it could wind up being a kinder punishment than the life of suffering I guarantee they will endure for what they have taken away from the Human race with their treachery.” 

Shepard nodded in thanks and had simply turned and walked away, feeling nothing but relief as she climbed aboard the _Knight Shadow_ to depart Earth, beginning what she believed would be a relatively long period of absence from the Human home world.

\-------------------------------

Liara, on the other hand, still felt burdened… partially blaming herself for Hackett’s death, due to their inefficiencies while trying to scrub the potential assassin list.  She knew one of the most important attributes of information was timeliness but, over the course of the war, the brokerage had suffered the same losses as any military organization.  The Shadow Broker had come to realize it was past time to rebuild the network to its pre-war capacity.  _Better late than never, I suppose._   That, of course, assumed the Broker wanted to remain relevant in the post-war galaxy, which she most certainly did.  So, while Shepard had directed the hunt and arrests of all the conspirators, Liara – along with all her remaining Broker agents and wet squads – had focused on an active recruiting campaign… at least as ‘active’ as one could be while recruiting for an organization with an operations plan grounded _entirely_ in anonymity. 

The Asari was currently standing before the large window in their luxury apartment’s rather expansive living room, staring out at the stars surrounding the CGC as she contemplated their inadequate progress – and how much still remained to be completed – when a voice from the side pulled her from her reverie.  “You about ready to leave, Blue?”

“I suppose so.”  The Asari glanced back and smiled at her _siame_.  “Staying in a relatively peaceful environment in our own retreat away from the Estate has actually provided me with the quiet time I needed to concentrate… even if I didn’t make as much progress as I wanted to.”

Sliding up beside her to slip an arm around the Asari’s waist, Shepard spoke softly, “There’s only so much you can do, _Grá mo chroí._ And, you have to admit, your office here has one Hell of a view, doesn’t it?  Along with plenty of room for all of us… and the big surround fireplace somewhat reminds me of Uncle Dave and Kahlee’s place.”  A wistful smile crossed the Spectre’s face and she added, “Going to the apartment in Tiberius Towers always felt like going _home_ … and I’d like to think we can create the same kind of haven… both here and at the Estate… for any and all of our friends.”

“A place where they can feel free to hide away from the galaxy for a bit.”  Liara smiled and let out something akin to a relaxed sigh before finishing, “ _Whenever_ they may need it.  I am confident in that becoming a reality, Sam; whether we do it purposefully or not, it will happen.”  Placing a soft kiss on Samantha’s cheek, she added, “And, to answer your question, yes, I am ready to leave here.”

Shepard cast one of her lopsided grins at her bondmate, then turned and shouted out, “Alright, team!  Time to fire up the _Knight Shade_ and get ourselves back to Thessia.  We’ve been away long enough.”

Riana, who was never far from her mistress, mission permitting, answered, “Far too long, if you ask me.”

“Understood, Riana.”  Liara laughed softly.  “I’m sure Sammi is more than ready for you to be home as well.

“That too…”  Riana grinned, even as her face turned a shade darker.  “Though, I was merely referring to missing the ocean air; this place is too dry… too sterile… for my liking.”

“You know, we do have wonderful technology that can, at least partially, fix that, Riana…  The environmental control system can be programmed to emulate the Thessian environment.”  Shepard glanced at Liara.  “Actually, that might not be a bad idea…”

“Next time.”  Liara grinned and gave her a playful shove.  “Right now, even though you’re the one that brought it up, I am ready to leave.”

“Your wish is your captain’s command,” Shepard laughed and stepped aside, waving her arm in the general direction of their main entryway.  “After you, Lady Liara.”

\-------------------------------

**T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 21 Nov 2188**

Once underway, Shepard and Liara decided to stop in at Armali on their way home.  After the initial welcome, Aethyta turned immediately to business and prompted Liara about the team of ‘Eclipse girls’ she had handed over to help in the war.  “How are you going to keep them busy now?  They certainly figured out your role in that whole mess, so why don’t you us them as an enforcement team?  That would be right up their alley… especially considering the criminal element of the new job.”

“Goddess.  I hadn’t considered that… I assumed they would simply return to their prewar occupation.”  Liara looked at Aethyta with a scathing glance.  “And you really do not need to remind me that the Shadow Broker is still the most wanted criminal in Council Space, Father.  Not everyone on the Council would be as understanding as Councilor Tevos.  Besides… I thought you said you made sure to stay with legitimate jobs, like security and such.”

Aethyta’s gravelly laughter filled the room and she made no attempt to hide her amused grin as she responded, “You may be battle-hardened, Little Wing, but you remain so easy to tease, it’s almost not worth my time… almost.  I still get way too much enjoyment out of it to quit.  And, yes, we did… but they had to get into the organization to start with and, to do that, each had to have a rep.  The recruiters want leverage… to know you won’t rat them out and that you’ll be willing to do whatever is necessary to complete a job.  Failure to complete a task because of a suddenly developed case of morals is not an option… not in Eclipse.”

“No, I suppose not.”  Liara gave her father an apologetic look.  “And just because I didn’t think of it doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea.  That is one part of the organization that doesn’t sit well with me, so I tend to neglect it.”  She met Aethyta’s eyes, and the matriarch was surprised by the sudden resolve in both her daughter’s expression and voice as Liara continued, “I now realize I can’t afford to do that anymore, so I’ll give them a call.”  She paused and smiled wryly.  “I have more than a few projects I’ve been putting off, for which they would be perfect.  Thanks, Dad.”

“That’s what I’m here for, kid.”  Aethyta chuckled quietly as she smiled back at the younger Asari, relieved that her Little Wing had somehow managed to maintain a sense of humor through all of her trials.  “Lots of advice, whether you are ready to hear it or not.”

\-------------------------------

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 22 November 2188**

Tevos was optimistic as the pushed the transmit button, forwarding the data packet she had received from the _Normandy_.  “I honestly hope Tali and Judea can come up with something, given this additional sensor data, Shepard.  Spectre Williams was quite frustrated by the whole event… between the _Nalotir’s_ stealth systems proving to be quite the tracking challenge and the unusual side effects of the directed-energy weapon, she is at her wits’ end.”

“I don’t believe the _Nalotir_ is the only thing irritating her, Councilor,” Shepard sighed.  “I think it’s the concern that there is more than one of that ship type out there… each one conducting multiple raids… a possibility which I believe is spot-on.  And, if it does turn out to be true, then the Rebel Quarian Flotilla is larger than we thought… and more sophisticated.  It’s hard to fight what you can’t see.”

“What are you saying, Shepard?”  Tevos’ eyes widened almost imperceptibly in concern.  “Is there nothing we can do to stop this?”

“Oh, no.  That’s not what I mean at all; we can do _something_ ,” she answered.  “There is an old Human saying… if you want to kill a snake, you have to cut off its head.”  Shepard shrugged her shoulders and shook her head in disgust.  “But if we’re going to remove the leaders of this rebellion, I’m going to need help from the Council Fleet, and the SILC, because I’m pretty damned sure Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen won’t go down without a fight – a big one.”

“Goddess, Shepard!”  Tevos sat back in her chair in shock, her face paling as she considered the implications.  “The Quarian Heavy Fleet is substantial!  After the war, the SILC helped them rebuild it, just as they helped the rest of us; we would likely incur severe losses should we decide to face them head on!  Do you not see any other alternatives?”

“I don’t know, yet.”  Shepard’s face was set in stone, keeping her emotions in check.  “I’ll need to take the _Knight Shade_ out to the Far Rim… rendezvous with Ashley and the _Normandy_ … discuss options with her.”  A slight smile crept onto her lips as she continued, “Don’t worry, Tevos; we’ll come up with something.  And, when we do, I’ll return to brief the Council and get your blessing, _before_ I go and round up the forces we’ll need to take on the Heavy Fleet.”

“This cannot be another mass casualty event, Captain.”  Tevos’ color had begun to slowly return to her face with Shepard’s reassurances.  “I honestly don’t know how we would survive another major war with our sensibilities intact… not so soon after the Reaper War.  I would hate to see all of Council Space become a place where only the strongest rule… and the last thing I want to do is join Aria T’Loak as a manager of chaos.”

“Obviously, we’ll do what we can to prevent that, Councilor.”  Liara slipped up beside Shepard and answered before the Spectre could think of a reply.  “I… _We_ … have no intention of letting Aria T’Loak extend her reach anywhere outside of her private playground… and the same goes for Han’Gerrel, Daro’Xen, and their little band of mutineers.”  She glanced at Shepard in a moment of silent communication before continuing, “We know, from an inside source, that Gerrel and Xen are ruling mostly through fear.  Given the chance, we believe the vast majority of the Quarian Marines will not lay down their weapons in surrender… but will take them up against the rebel leaders if we provide them hope of a victory.”

Shepard was nodding in agreement as she added to Liara’s comments.  “Most of them don’t want the SILC subjugated like the Geth were any more than we do.  So far, Legion and his SILC have proven to be excellent allies, so I think those Marines will gladly fight _with_ us…  Not only to help the SILC, but to regain their own freedom.”  She paused as a scowl took over her face.   “And, I already warned Gerrel – in no uncertain terms – what his fate would be should he ever again allow his hatred of the Geth to injure or kill people I care about, so I won’t hesitate to finish the fight he started above Rannoch.  If we hadn’t needed the Quarian Fleet so desperately…”

“I completely understand your anger, Spectre Shepard.”  The abrupt formality of Tevos’ address drew the Human’s eyes to meet hers.  “I know how much that… betrayal… hurt you and your crew, Samantha, but please, do not let the past get the better of your judgement in the present.  We need you focused… to save the freedom of the SILC and as many of the Quarian lives as we can; at least those who _want_ to be saved from this madness.  I cannot imagine we would have such good fortune as to have _all_ of them cooperate.”

“I imagine not.”  Shepard’s stone face returned as she concluded, “We _will_ get through this, Councilor, and we’ll hopefully eliminate all of the bad apples in the process.”  Her hand hovered over the disconnect control on the haptic interface as a smile returned to her face.  “I’ll start preparing everyone for the mission and we’ll chat again before I leave the system… I promise.”

\-------------------------------

**T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 23 Nov 2188**

“Captain B’Sayle.”  Liara stood from her desk chair and approached the commando, her hands extended in welcome.  “Thank you for accommodating my schedule and coming so quickly.”

Roshida simply smirked and replied, “My pleasure, Lady Liara… or should I say _Shadow Broker?_ … as, given my résumé, I highly doubt I am being summoned to serve House T’Soni.”

Liara eyed the commando with a look just shy of a glare as she commented sharply, “Do not sell yourself short, Captain.  Loyalty can be a rare quality and, knowing my father, it is one that you hold dear… else she would never have trusted you to be on her team, much less lead it.”

Roshida stayed silent for a moment, looking Liara over with an appraising eye.  “You always surprise me, Lady Liara.  Your single-minded determination belies your youth, though I suppose I can understand the reasons behind it.”

Liara canted her head slightly as she responded, “We were all forced to harden ourselves these past few years, thanks to our many enemies; we did what was required of us to survive… and I am not in a position to judge you or your actions.  At the same time, I have to wonder at what compelled you to choose the path you did, given the high standing of your family.”

Roshida chuckled quietly.  “Apparently, you did not know my mother, Rylena.”  Seeing Liara’s raised brow markings, she continued, “She was the Pyjak’s ass of matriarchs.  The bearing of a dictator, the brashness of a Varren and the aggressiveness of a Yahg, all rolled into one tightly-wound, insufferable annoyance who made her fortune through illegal genetic engineering contracts with edgy, overly ambitious Salarians… though none of that matters now, seeing as Chalkhos was turned into a smoldering ruin by the Reapers.”

“Chalkhos?”  Liara continued with, “I’m… sorry?” in the same questioning tone, which made B’Sayle laugh more freely. 

“Don’t be.  It’s a rare case where the Reapers likely did the galaxy a favor.  The only good thing she ever did was give birth to my younger sister, Pelessaria.  Smart as they come, that one; smart enough to get accepted by the Andromeda Initiative and get far, far away from her family… and her past.”  Roshida’s expression suddenly saddened as she continued, “I can only hope the mission succeeds and they make it; our little rogue deserves at least that much.”

“So, who is Matriarch Ryvos B’Sayle of Blackdamp, to you?”

“She is my mother’s older sister by a little more than a half-century… and very much alive and well… though, as you are probably well aware, aging.  She’s closing quickly on her one thousand, one hundred and twentieth birthday, so has only another century, at best.”  Roshida gave Liara a peculiar glance as she continued, “And I honestly thought you would have researched all that by now, especially after having met her.”

It was Liara’s turn to laugh.  “And when, exactly, was I supposed to find the time to do that?”  Her laughter faded to a gentle smile as she added, “Besides which, I assumed it would be a waste of effort.  My father believes in you, quite strongly as a matter of fact, and I saw no reason to doubt her counsel.  Am I wrong to trust her judgement?”

The unexpectedly direct question snapped Roshida back to the discussion at hand.  “Absolutely not, Lady Liara… and I have no idea why I suddenly volunteered all that information, seeing as it really has no bearing on the primary topic of our conversation.  Must be one of the reasons you make a significantly better than average Broker.  You are unassuming and you convey a sense of trustworthiness that encourages people to open up to you.”

“Measuring one’s level of reliability and loyalty is never off topic.”  Liara fell silent for a moment as she took in all the captain had just told her, then drew a deep breath before making her offer.  “And the Brokerage _is_ what I wanted to speak with you about…  Your assumption in that regard was absolutely correct.”  She met the commando captain’s eyes as she continued, “I find myself in need of an enforcement squad that I can trust unreservedly; one that can take on certain tasks which could likely be deemed… unpleasant… yet, remain necessary; one which my father says you are particularly well suited for.”

Roshida studied the Shadow Broker’s eyes for several moments, attempting to discern any deceitfulness or hesitation in the offer.  “An enforcement squad.”  She watched as Liara merely nodded once in assent.  “So, we’d go out and… what?  Collect unpaid credits for contracts fulfilled… where the requester didn’t like or believe the answer, so has refused to pay?”

“That would be one form of available tasks, yes.”  Liara glanced back at her desk and shook her head before returning her gaze to Roshida.  “Among other things… more distasteful tasks… such as eliminating extortionists who simply refuse to leave certain Broker stations – and the agents posted to them – alone.”

“Yes.  I can see how believing they could somehow force the Shadow Broker’s hand would be problematic, not only to operations, but to the Shadow Broker’s reputation, should any one of them succeed.”  B’Sayle nodded in understanding.  “You cannot allow such things to continue.”

“I have come to that conclusion as well.”  Liara raised an open hand and gestured toward the doorway.  “Seeing as you did not immediately say no, shall we move this discussion to the lounge and discuss the details of this opportunity over drinks?”

“Sounds like an excellent idea, Lady Liara.  Knowing the reputation of the old Shadow Broker, I think I might just need one to get through the next hour or so…”

\-------------------------------

**Shadow Broker Operations Center, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 24 Nov 2188**

Captain B’Sayle stepped through the final hatch and was immediately besieged by a blindingly bright light, but she dared not flinch.  Even though she couldn’t see them, she knew more weapons were pointed at her in that moment than she had ever anticipated, even given Liara’s repeated emphasis that the commando follow her instructions to the letter.  Making no sudden moves, Roshida knelt down without a word; it had to be obvious to all that were watching she was holding a very special gold chit in her right hand – one which had been given to her by Liara.  The commando captain placed it very carefully on the highly polished floor and slid it forward, as hard as she could.

It crossed under a barrier bar, which somehow recognized the item for what it was and lit green in silent approval.  “You may stand.”  The nasally voice of a Salarian came from her right side, but Roshida did not look toward it.  She stood slowly, elbows bent and open-palmed hands raised to her shoulders, and her eyes remaining glued to the floor at her feet as the voice continued, “State your business.”

Drawing a deep breath, she repeated the phase which, following a rather lengthy and detailed discussion about the job and the risks it entailed, Liara had insisted she memorize.  Roshida’s very life depended upon the proper recitation of the words, so she spoke firmly, giving those with the weapons trained upon her absolutely no reason to doubt her sincerity.  “My business is that of the Broker.  I will serve at the Broker’s pleasure until I am either dead or no longer needed, both being one and the same.  I have pledged my lifelong loyalty, knowing the commitment I have made will only be fulfilled at the time of my death.”

There was a palpable change in the air when she fell silent and the voice in the dark spoke once more.  “Welcome to the Shadow Broker’s private army, _Agent_ B’Sayle.”

The dazzling white light dimmed slowly, allowing Roshida’s eyes to adjust once again to a normal level of lighting.  “Thank you.”  She finally looked to her right, to see a grinning Salarian.  “It is my pleasure to serve.”

“Commander Soloquol Arern, at your service.”  He gestured abruptly at a doorway.  “This way please.”  As the hatch slid open, he continued, “I assume you have brought your team, all of whom will be entry-level tested as you were.”  A smile flashed across his face.  “Your gold chit tells me that you and your team have already worked for the Broker on a contingency basis during the war, so I do not foresee any problems bringing all of you on as regulars; particularly if they perform anywhere near your level.”

“Which they will,” Roshida assured the Salarian.  “I was also told that we would be brought to the armory for proper fitting of our new armor and upgrades to our weapons?”

“Yes.  All those who successfully pass the test are brought here.”  He paused and keyed a security panel, opening a door Roshida had not even seen in the wall.  “You should have also been informed that you will never have independent access to any areas within this section of the facility.”

“Yes.  Other than the lobby entrance and transitory living facilities… which you have yet to show me… and I fully understand why we must be escorted to any other areas within the facility; sectionalization is critical to security.”

“That is correct.  Unless, of course, you live long enough to get stationed here.”  The Salarian stopped and glanced her way.  “Which should not happen with you for many, many years.  A facility such as this is where we all end up for retirement.”

“I thought Broker agents never retired?”

“Precisely.”  The Salarian flashed another quick grin.  “When no longer able to accomplish field work, we are assigned as escorts and guards at any one of the many storage facilities or operations centers owned by the Broker.  Once assigned to a facility, it is very likely you will never learn where any others are located… unless you survive long enough to climb in rank and become a sectional or regional commander.”

“Which you are.”

“Yes.  The Salarian fast-paced biological development and short lifespan brings us here sooner than most.”  Arern pointed to an upright tube.  “Please, shed all your clothes and step in for measurement.”  When Roshida hesitated, Arern waved his hand in an impatient motion.  “Come on, get it done.  The first of your crew should be showing up soon and I don’t want to waste all day processing the new team.  There is much to be done to complete your orientation.”

“L… My recruiter didn’t say anything about such lack of privacy during this process.”  Even as she spoke, she began to peel her leathers off her shoulders.  “What happens if someone is shy?”

The Salarian blinked twice in surprise before promptly answering.  “ _Shy_ agents do not stay with us very long.  We all learn to do what is necessary, without hesitation.  The sooner you understand that, the better off you will be.”

A now-naked Roshida stepped boldly into the tube and echoed the posture pictured on the wall diagram inside the unit.  “Understood, Commander Arern.”

“Oh, don’t be so formal, Captain.  You are a team leader and, as such, I will be the case agent personally providing your team’s assignments to you.  We will be working very closely together so, please, call me Solo.”

\-------------------------------

**Kurthan Shipyards, Aephus, Talava System – 27 Nov 2188**

Nearly a year and a half had passed since the soulless invaders and all their corrupted servants had been destroyed by the first Human Spectre, Commander Shepard.  With every month that passed without access to the liveships of the Civilian Fleet or Han’Gerrel’s go-ahead to attack their main objective – Heretic Station, once again known as Haratar – the rebels were growing more and more desperate to find enough food to support everyone living within the Heavy Fleet.  The ship building compound on the world below them was at maximum capacity and well-guarded but, even with the rebel’s other successful thefts around the galaxy, the colony’s food storage facility remained amazingly unprotected, leaving it an attractive and potentially lucrative target for the starving Quarians. 

Even though his face was hidden by his ever-present red-tinted visor, Captain Lenn’Shar vas Sondaj smiled as he directed his pilot to ease the ship into the atmosphere of Aephus.  Rather than the equatorial insertion favored by pilots with legitimate reasons for landing at the colony’s commercial shipyard, Shar was utilizing a transpolar trajectory that would shield his approach from the Turians still guarding the shipwright facility.

As he watched the _Sondaj’s_ approach on the bridge view screens, he let his mind wander a bit.  _The colonists are utter fools and they will pay the ultimate price for their folly_ …  _While the Reapers were arrogant enough to leave the shipyard’s capture to Cerberus, who failed miserably since Din Korlack sold them out, the Turians are so pompous they never bothered to upgrade their defensive grid sensors… so they will never see us coming._   

As atmospheric friction performed the majority of the ship’s speed reduction by slowing his ship to a sub-hypersonic velocity, he spoke to his weapons-control officer.  “Engage our cloak and shields the instant we are free of ionization effects; bring our weapons online immediately after and take out the communications relay tower first.  I don’t believe the few soldiers at the warehouse landing zone will present any real resistance and I don’t want them calling for help.”

“Understood, Sir.  We’ll be ready.”

Shar used an armrest mounted switch to activate the ship’s PA.  “All hands, this is your captain; stand by for touchdown.  Once deployed, precision actions groundside will be essential!  We must enter the food storage facility and transfer everything we’re capable of hauling in the least amount of time possible.”  After a brief pause, he added, “This is a standard attack profile and you will get only one warning.  The _Sondaj_ will lift off the instant any opposition breaches our safety zone, be it either the Turians or some off-world assistance.  Any and all crew who do not heed the warning to immediately reboard will be left behind.”  Deactivating the PA, Lenn’Shar thought about what he had _not_ said.  _Anyone left behind will die just as surely as the Turians I’ll be targeting_ … _I’m not about to leave anyone from this ship capable of answering questions of any kind._

The young captain watched with keen interest as the _Sondaj’s_ pilot returned the ship from its nose-high deceleration profile to straight and level flight; he heard the brief warning klaxon to his right that served as an audible reminder that weapons had been activated and placed in standby mode.  The field came into view as they slowed their approach velocity further.  The few Turians outside the nearby warehouses seemed mesmerized as they stared at the approaching ship that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.  By the time they realized their peril, the weapons officer had activated the _Sondaj’s_ beam weapon, disabling the comm tower and dropping the soldiers where they stood.  After circling the field once to perform a sensor sweep and provide visual confirmation there was no further opposition on the ground, Lenn’Shar directed the pilot to set the ship down as close to the warehouses as possible.

Based on the original design for the specialty ships constructed for the Andromeda Initiative, the _Sondaj_ was a crossover between a small frigate and a large scout vessel, almost half again as large as the final design that went into final production for the Initiative Pathfinder scout vessels.  The ship, along with its three sister test platforms, utilized the main ramp leading into the hanger bay as the major third of the vessel’s landing gear, while the port and starboard supports were foldout, sled-shaped units supported by pressurized gas/oil struts deployed from the underside of the stubby wings supporting the four main propulsion pods.  With the majority of its mass located astern of the hanger ramp, the ship had no need of additional support under the extended nose.

As the leading edge of the ramp contacted the pavement, a squad of Marine cargo-handlers rolled down the inclined surface in a wheeled skiff; once on the pavement, they turned and made for the warehouse.  A pair of Marines stood as lookouts on either side of the ramp with weapons charged, ready to raise an alarm and defend the ship and the ground squad as required.

The cargo handlers were highly trained; within minutes, a driver and gunner returned to the _Sondaj_ and picked up a second empty cargo shell.  Upon their second return, they released a now full cargo section from the rear of the skiff, picked up another empty, and left again to return to the storage facility.  While this was happening, three specialists unloaded, sorted and stored the cargo taken from the warehouse, freeing up the container for the next run to repeat the process.

The crew had rehearsed their roles intensely many times, ensuring there was no wasted motion as the cargo hold was gradually filled with the foods necessary to help keep their people alive until the Admirals gave the go-ahead for the fleet to retake the home world… and to strip the Geth of their Reaper upgrades, turning the machines back into the servants they were designed to be.

In less than forty minutes, the skiff was making its last trip back to the _Sondaj_ ; as they rolled into the ship’s embrace, the cargo master transferred his new weight and balance data to the pilot, who would need to compensate for the additional mass in the ship’s belly.

The pilot, Zela’Nedal, spoke quickly.  “Captain.  The hold is full, and calculations are complete.  Ready for liftoff.” 

Shar nodded and smiled.  “Then take us up…  We’ll return to the fleet as heroes.”

In moments, Nedal energized the core, neutralizing the majority of the _Sondaj’s_ weight.  Igniting the six ventral thrusters, she lifted the heavily laden ship clear of the surface; holding an altitude of three meters, Nedal carefully monitored the ship’s attitude while retracting the main ramp and outriggers.  Satisfied with the weight distribution and hull integrity, she increased the altitude of the _Sondaj_ by activating the main engines, accelerating up and away from the planet’s surface as the navigator, Uto’Seya, reengaged the cloaking device to conceal their departure.   

\-------------------------------

**T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 28 Nov 2188**

“Liara!  To what do I owe the pleasure?”  Sharon smiled questioningly at the Asari, having fully expected to see Shepard’s face appear on the viewscreen, once she recognized the ident code.

“It is good to see you, _Mea're_.” 

Liara’s expression was mixed; her smile held a happy hello, but something in her eyes told the colonel that something was amiss.  “You look worried.  What’s going on, Liara?”

“Always the observant one, aren’t you?”  Liara chuckled softly before continuing.  “First, I wanted to remind you about Christmas.  Both Hannah and Karin are coming, planning to arrive on the 21st, the Saturday before, and catching the return shuttle on the next Saturday, the 28th.”

“That’s excellent news.”  Sharon’s brow furrowed to match that of the Asari she was speaking to as she continued, “So what has your forehead pinching your eyes?”

With a sigh, Liara explained, “Because there is a distinct possibility that _we_ might not be here… but I want you to make plans as if our presence is guaranteed.”

“And my guess is the damned Quarians.  I heard about yesterday’s raid.  They’re not even trying to be sneaky anymore.  Drop in, kill everyone, and take everything they can load before the reinforcements arrive.”  Sharon practically spit the words out, her anger at the rebel actions evident in every word.  “Bastards have to be stopped; I only wish there was something I could do to help, but this one’s a bit out of my jurisdiction.”

“You can help by making plans to come for Christmas…”  Liara paused to draw a deep breath before pushing on, “… as if nothing in the galaxy could possibly keep us from our Human family during this special time of year.  As for us, we’ll definitely do our best to be home to join you all for the celebration.”

“Well, if Momma Hannah can somehow manage to drag Kahlee away from the school house, I can certainly make plans to be there as well.”  The woman smiled in earnest as she added, “I wouldn’t miss a Shepard family Christmas for anything!  Not if I can help it!”

“Excellent.”  Liara’s smile finally reached her eyes.  “I’ll let Lyessa know you’re coming, so we’ll have a room reserved for you.  Do you want a room in the main house this time or do you still want to stay over in the Commando Quarters?” she asked with a grin.

Laughing, Sharon replied, “You know me… always the soldier!  It’s where I’m most comfortable, so tell Livos to make room.”

“I’ll do that.”  Liara’s eyes suddenly brightened and she added, “Oh!  Speaking of Livos…  You’ll get to meet her partner, Zan!  Carlina V’Zanto… She is the lead guide from the Záhrada S’Vatyne Resort.  They’ve hit it off fabulously!”

“What?”  Sharon’s brow lifted, her voice piqued in interest.  “Livos?  Really?”  She smirked and laughed, “This I have to see for myself.  I’m definitely coming now!”


	3. Working the Edges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Siame_ \- "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
> STG - Special Tasks Group
> 
> XO - Executive Officer

**Shadow Broker Warehouse, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 30 Nov 2188**

Following a five-day period of initiation into the business processes and procedures utilized by the Shadow Broker, Captain B’Sayle and her team were judged ready for their first assignment.  The new custom armor order had been completed for the entire team and delivered amazingly fast and Roshida began to appreciate the true power behind the Broker’s network – the speed with which it was able to accomplish tasks.  She found it easy to understand how information could travel across the galaxy in the blink of an eye but having six sets of custom-fit armor of this caliber crafted and delivered in less than three days was mind boggling to the commando Captain.

As her team assembled in the training room yet again, Commander Arern walked in and began speaking in his normal, hurried pace.  “Good morning, Team B’Sayle.”  He flashed a quick smile before continuing, “I see all of you have dressed out in your armor, with weapons, as requested for today.  Excellent.  Since you have all previously worked together as a team, we will be proceeding directly to the docks for your first deployment.  Follow me, please.”  He keyed his omnitool as he turned and walked directly towards a seemingly blank wall; it was unsurprising to the team to witness yet another camouflaged hatch suddenly snapping open in just enough time to keep the Salarian from crashing into it.

Roshida looked at her team with a knowing grin; she had suspected this would happen.  Under the assumption they may not be afforded an opportunity to return to their rooms once they had reported as ordered, she had told them to ensure they were equipped with everything they felt they needed when they assembled in the training room.  As such, each team member had packed a full field kit in preparation for departure.  A relatively short, hurried march later found them at a secluded section of a surprisingly spacious underground ship moorage.  “Where are we?”  The Captain glanced around in wonder.  “I had no idea… scans of the surface do not show this at all!”

An abrupt laugh erupted from the Salarian before he answered, “Of course not.  The Shadow Broker possesses the best shielding and cloaking technology known to the galaxy.”  He turned and faced the small group, spreading his arms wide to indicate all the vessels now behind him.  “This is only a portion of the Shadow Broker’s personal fleet.  Each of these ships has a dedicated crew who likely know their particular ship better than they know themselves.  It is their business to safely deliver your team to whatever job has been assigned, then safely retrieve you upon completion of your assignment, all while remaining undetected by anyone.”

“Impressive.”  B’Sayle looked over the array of available craft.  “Have we already been assigned to a specific crew and ship?”

“For this mission only.  The ship to which you are assigned is dependent upon the requirements of your upcoming task, thus will vary accordingly.”  He pointed off to the left.  “Those are obviously the smallest… the scouts… designed for stealth recon and infiltrations.  The second ship there, the _Kirkliston_ _SR1_ , will be your designated transport for this mission; it is an upgraded STG Stealth Reconnaissance vessel, extremely well suited for this particular task.”

“Nice.”  Roshida nodded in approval.  “So… given the extent of Shadow Broker operations, there aren’t _that_ many ships here.  Just how many locations like this does the Broker have?” 

“Not nearly as many as we would like, but you will never lack for transportation,” Solo answered somewhat evasively before lifting his arm and keying his omnitool to transfer a data packet.  “This is your assignment.  Review it, then ask for whatever additional supplies or specialty gear you feel you may need.  Please do not waste any time, as you depart in fifteen minutes; queries about mission specifics will be fielded by _Kirkliston’s_ Operations Officer once you are enroute.”

A bit surprised, Roshida immediately scanned the file that had just popped open on her omnitool.  “Target: Darius Barcroft Compound.  Infiltration and destruction of electronics suite, as well as termination of all personnel on the premises.”  Her eyes came up as she asked, “How many specialists and staff… particularly security personnel… do we expect to be there?”

“Not so many that your team cannot safely eliminate them, especially given the isolated nature of the various facilities on Noveria.”  Solo flashed her a smile.  “Do not worry, Captain.  No outside assistance will arrive to help them… and I have no intention of getting you or anyone on your team killed on your very first assignment.  You’ll be deployed outside the compound with the equipment required to perform a full-scale penetration analysis and sufficient time to come up with an infiltration plan.  When the time comes, one of our stealth frigates will be in place as well, providing you with ready access to fully crewed A-61 Mantis gunships and two Jiris fighting vehicles with operators, should you require them.”  He paused and winked conspiratorially, “The ship’s Operations Officer, Specialist Aldaberto, is well-versed on your mission and will provide contact protocols for your retrieval and coordinate any additional support, if required.  Knowing your background and level of experience… you’ll be fine.”

\-------------------------------

**Pahhur, Tassrah System, The Phoenix Massing – 3 Dec 2188**

After one last in-person conversation with Tevos, the _Knight Shade_ had departed the CGC for Pahhur, in the Tassrah System.  Being constantly scorched by the intense radiation of the giant about which it orbits, the hellish landscape of Pahhur had quite successfully prevented any form of practical exploitation and, since it had no landing zones or ‘hide-out’ spots that were even remotely tolerable, most ships gave it a wide berth… making it the perfect locale for a surreptitious rendezvous between the two Spectre ships.

Sitting in a geo-synched orbit on the shadow-side of the world, the _Normandy_ shimmered into view as the _Knight Shade_ dropped out of FTL and made its approach to the rendezvous coordinates; _Normandy_ immediately dispatching a shuttle – purposely piloted by Steve Cortez – to pick up Shepard, Liara, and Tali’Zorah.  Once their guests had their mini-reunion and were enroute, Ashley made her way down to the shuttle bay and was awaiting their arrival as the hatches opened, allowing them all to once more set foot on the hanger deck of the _Normandy_.

“Goddamned, Skipper!  It’s good to see you!”  Ashley’s face held a huge grin as she reached out and clasped forearms with her former commander.  “You too, Liara… and Tali!”

Her additional welcomes were buried in Shepard’s shoulder as the woman pulled her friend in for a bearhug.  “Good to see you, too, Ash.  How’s my ship?”

“Not yours anymore, Shepard,” Ashley laughed.  “You gave her up!”  She pulled back and moved to the Asari, giving Liara an equally warm, welcoming hug.  “And how’s my favorite Asari?  Shepard treating you right?”

Liara smiled, even as a light blush brightened her cheeks.  “I couldn’t ask for a better bondmate, Ashley.  I give thanks to the Goddess every day for helping all of us survive that damned war.”

“You and me both, Liara.”  Ashley’s eyes turned more solemn as she turned to give Tali a warm embrace.  With her hands still on Tali’s upper arms, she said, “There sure were more than a few that didn’t have that luxury.”

“Yes.”  Shepard nodded and continued, “But we’ll not taint their sacrifices by being glum about it.  We owe it to them to take advantage of our good fortune and live every additional day they have given us to its fullest.”

“Agreed, Skipper,” Ashley scowled.  “And the next step in that direction is for us to get to the business at hand.  Come on, let’s head to the War Room; my XO is prepping the display as we speak, in order to show you the most current information we have.”  Looping arms with her favorite little Quarian, Ashley led them to the elevator, chatting with Tali as they walked and getting caught up on the advances Medica had made on her rapidly improving immune system.

“That’s absolutely amazing, Tali!”  Ashley gave her another quick hug and then held her by the shoulders at arm’s length.  “So, when will you get out of this suit… for good?”

“We think it will be another five years, give or take.”  Tali’s voice, joyful from the reunion, turned to a determined growl as she continued, “No matter how long it is, it’s coming… and it will be a lot faster for those of us who have embraced the SILC than it ever will be for the Bosh’tets who want their Geth back!”

Everyone was chuckling but fell suddenly silent as the doors opened on Deck 2; stepping out of the lift, Shepard paused to take in the view.  Every crewmember stood at attention, a knowing smile on the face of all that had served aboard the _Normandy_ with the visiting trio.  Shepard simply nodded her head and raised a hand in recognition.  “Thank you, all.”  With a glance at Ashley, she added, “With your captain’s permission, once our business here is concluded, we’d like to take a few moments with each of you, just to say hello?”

“Absolutely, Spectre.”  Ashley looked over at Liara and laughed, “Though you’d better be prepared for a late return.  There are still a lot of familiar faces aboard… And I’m thinking it’s your own damned fault for making all of us love you so much!”

Shepard chuckled, “If you expect me to apologize for that, you’ll be waiting a long time, Ash, so we might as well get started, or we _will_ be here all night.”

\-------------------------------

When they stepped into the War Room, Shepard’s first couple of steps were hesitant.  Liara looked at her in concern as a thought floated across the link.  _{That officer reminds me of Uncle Dave.  He looks so much like him, he could almost be Anderson’s son, or a family member, at the very least.}_

Shepard shook her head and walked on, but Ashley had also paused as she wondered about the odd expression that had crossed the Skipper’s face.  “Weird walking back in here again, isn’t it?”  A thought then occurred to her.  “Especially for you, Liara.  I can only imagine the unpleasant memories this place must be dredging up.  I should have thought of that… we could have held this meeting in the conference room.”

“No, it’s alright… really.  The appearance of your new XO caught me by surprise, is all.”  Shepard huffed and smiled.  “You _do_ realize how much he looks like Admiral Anderson, don’t you?”

Ashley’s eyes opened wide and she looked at Leon in surprise.  “When we first met, I did… or at least thought I did… but then kicked myself, thinking I was just seeing what I wanted to see, so I never said anything to him.”  Her eyes narrowed just a little bit as she studied the man, looking at him again as if seeing him for the very first time.  “Honestly, seeing him every day now, I had forgotten all about that.”

Leon simply shrugged and laughed it off, stating, “Thank you, Spectre.  I’ve been told that before and, though I never had the privilege of working with the man, it’s an honor to be compared to him, even if only for the physical resemblance.  He’s both an icon and a hero; I could be likened to worse, for sure.”

“He is… and was…”  A reminiscent smile crossed Shepard’s face as she continued in a sorrow-roughened voice, “And was also a very close friend of my family; like an uncle to me.”  She stepped forward and offered her hand.  “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you…?”

“Rensch…  Leon Rensch, Ma’am.”  He took her hand and was surprised at the firmness of her grip, then immediately realized he shouldn’t have been.  “The pleasure is all mine, Spectre… speaking of heroes.”

Brushing off the comment, Shepard answered, “We all do what we’re called on to do, don’t we?”  With a grim smile, she looked over to the display well.  “And, speaking of which, explain to me what I’m looking at.”

With a short chuckle, Leon waved his hand over the graphical display superimposed on a section of the galaxy map.  “The Quarians have really upped their game in the past six to eight weeks, Spectre Shepard.  Thanks to Edi, we now have a way to track their stealth frigate – the _Nalotir_ – even when it’s running transponder cold and cloaked.”  He stared grim-faced at the display before him as he pointed out the locations of the various attacks.  “Based on the number of ground locations and freighters being hit for dextro provisions, Commander Williams and I believe they’ve added the same cloaking tech to at least two, if not three, additional ships.”

Ashley chimed in with, “And the weapon they’ve been utilizing to disable the freighters is something I can only believe has been developed by Daro’Xen...”  Ashley zoomed the display out to point at a conglomeration of multiple dots located within The Phoenix Massing as she continued, “… who is hiding out here with Han’Gerrel and the majority of the Heavy Fleet.”  Her eyes returned to her guests.  “The damned weapon Xen designed disables everything related to propulsion and environmental control; while their victims continue coasting along on their original vector, the lack of propulsion control effectively leaves those ships relatively defenseless.  Most have no weapons of any significance and they are completely unable to perform evasive maneuvers of any kind.  Also, if the remaining crew are unable to quickly shake off the debilitating effects of the weapon’s energy pulse, they could very well die before being able to repair their environmental controls.”

Rensch nodded as he took up the explanation again.  “Seventeen days ago, I led a team to assist the Turians on the _MSV Spirito’s Nimet,_ in the Shrike Abyssal.  The ship had been disabled and the crew – everyone in engineering, anyway – were suffering from positively _crippling_ headaches.  Captain Savernake said the only ship they saw was a Turian freighter that came close… but did not send a boarding party; this leads the commander and I to believe it was a diversion, designed to get a response to a distress call while the _Nalotir_ proceeded to raid the storage facility on Altakiril.”

Liara had been silently contemplating everything Rensch and Ashley had said.  Following a prolonged intense stare at her _siame_ , she addressed Leon.  “You spoke of the Quarian raider… this _Nalotir_.  Unfortunately, I believe your theory that there are more ships of this type has great validity, Commander.”  She huffed in a combination of frustration and vexation.  “It is quite possible the Quarians have salvaged up to three additional similar, frigate-class vessels and re-purposed them for their own needs.  Have either of you ever heard of the Andromeda Initiative?”

Ashley nodded her head slightly as she responded in a hesitant manner.  “Some kind of pie-in-the-sky plan to send people to that galaxy, across better than two and a half million light years distance.”

Liara nodded in agreement as she explained, “It wasn’t, as you say, pie-in-the-sky, Ashley.  The Initiative was founded in 2176… and very well-funded by some unidentified _benefactor_.”

“I will never trust anyone who hides in the shadows.”  Shepard’s face held a scowl as she continued, “There’s a very good chance this _benefactor_ knew about the Reapers… and may have been responsible for the disappearance of the Leviathan of Dis.”

Ashley’s face turned an angry red.  “Which would hint that those bastards knew all along… and the whole purpose behind the Initiative was to save a select group of people… and to Hell with the rest of us?”

“Yes.”  Shepard drew a deep breath before expounding on her short answer.  “And would also suggest the possibility that they’ve been playing with Reaper tech since as early as 2163… much longer than we originally suspected.”

Liara glanced at Shepard, her face grim as she returned to the subject of Andromeda.  Focusing on Ashley again, she explained, “I had a few conversations with the Initiative’s primary guide, a man by the name of Alec Ryder, while they prepared for their departure.  Five cryo-sleep vessels, called arks, and the main outpost, christened the Nexus – also carrying cryopods and meant to be completed after arrival – set out for Andromeda in mid-December of 2185, barely two months before the Reapers arrived in the Viper Nebula.”  She reached over and squeezed Shepard’s hand as the unspoken, slowly fading but still painful, memories of Bahak swept through both of their minds.

“How long will they be traveling?” Leon asked, an incredulous expression taking over his entire face as he started to contemplate embarking on such a journey.  “Even at FTL, it would take…”

“They calculated the trip at just over 600 years duration,” Liara finished for him.  “The important thing for us, here and now, is what they left behind.”  Liara looked to her _siame_ to finish the tale.

The Spectre was grave as she quietly added, “There are five scout-class vessels stored on the Nexus, all suspiciously similar to the _Normandy_ _SR2_ , obviously utilizing some of the same technologies.  The main difference is the Andromeda scouts are completely weaponless… and downsized accordingly, needing no room for the main cannon.  What they _do_ have is extreme light weight, great speed and an inordinate amount of maneuverability so, unlike the _Normandy_ , they can land on potentially any planet they encounter.”  Shepard shook her head slightly as she continued, “Unfortunately for us, as they moved from one test phase to the next, the Initiative abandoned their prototypes out on the Far Rim… in ascending order of development and sophistication, the _Nalotir,_ _Sondaj_ , the _Huli_ , and the _Nyocha_.  I believe it stands to reason that…”

Ashley spoke up as Shepard paused to take a breath, finishing the woman’s sentence for her.  “The Quarians possibly got their hands on all four of them… with the _Nalotir_ actually being the least capable of the lot?  Damn it!”

Shepard nodded glumly as Liara added, “Yes; and while all of them were designed to be stealthy, they did not possess the light-bending technology subsequently developed, most likely, by Daro’Xen.  I imagine this new cloaking tech has been applied to all four of the prototypes and, I suspect, more than a few of the other ships in the heavy fleet… right along with their advanced beam weapon that has proven to be so troublesome.”

Ashley’s face mirrored that of her fellow Spectre.  “So, our theory of multiple raiders with this cloaking ability isn’t as implausible as we hoped.”  Frowning, she leaned heavily on the rail surrounding the projection well.  “And, it seems, Xen’s weapon is small enough to use as an add-on, even on platforms not originally designed to carry heavy weaponry.  That’s bad, Skipper.”

As Rensch started speaking, Shepard had an eerie feeling of déjà vu; the cadence and timbre of the lieutenant commander’s voice was so similar to her Uncle Dave’s she had to look at him intently while concentrating on his words.  “… ships to put a stop to these raids, Spectre.”  Fortunately, Liara had heard the entire statement and clarified.  _{We’ll need more than two ships, Siame.}_

Shepard had hoped to keep her mental lapse hidden, but sighed at her obvious failure before replying, “Agreed, Mr Rensch.”  Using the control interface, she enlarged the depiction of the galaxy laid out before them to include the area inhabited by the rebellious Heavy Fleet.  “In my heart, I want to believe the council can persuade Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen to stand down… with no loss of resources or life, but… having dealt with each of them during the war – in this very compartment – I truly believe neither of them will surrender without dragging their ships and crews down as well, and they’ll take as many of us right along with them as they possibly can.”

Liara moved to stand beside her disheartened bondmate, where she gently placed a loving and encouraging hand between her shoulder blades.  “Surely, the council will be able to reason with them…”

The Spectre regarded the intense blue eyes looking at her, sighed, then looked across the small projection well to Rensch and Williams.  “Ashley, you were there… you understand what we’re going to _need_ to do… what will be required of you.  Question is, when it comes down to it, will you be able to carry it out?”

Rensch split his attention between the Spectres, the expression of puzzlement plain on his face.  “What are you talking about, Shepard?  Carry out _what_ , exactly?”

Never taking her eyes from Shepard’s, Ashley quietly answered for her friend.  “A death sentence, Leon.”  She sighed, broke eye contact with Shepard and turned to face her XO.  “As Spectres, we don’t need permission from the council to make decisions for the greater good.  Gerrel and Xen are in gross violation of galactic laws, not the least of which is their piracy in support of a large, breakaway contingent of the Quarian fleet.”

Shepard picked up the explanation.  “They’re on a mission to enslave a sentient race of beings, Leon.  Xen believes the SILC – she still refers to them by their Quarian name… Geth, or _servant of the people_ – are the rightful property of the Quarian race; for the SILC to be walking free and directing their own lives is an abomination… and Xen will never change her thinking.  She’s also unpredictably dangerous, so I intend to put a permanent stop to her misguided crusade.”

Ashley nodded slowly at Shepard’s last few words.  “Gerrel’s total disregard for the lives of his allies is not something I have forgotten, Shepard.  As much as I try to remain objective, I simply cannot overlook the vicious piracy of Turian shipping, ground bases and colonies, nor will I ever forgive his direct responsibility for the death…” eyes suddenly swimming, she gulped and continued, “… the death of Bethany Westmoreland… on a disabled and harmless warship.”

Leon knew of Westie from a previous discussion with his captain – Bethany’s name was engraved in a metal plate attached to the memorial wall facing the elevator on deck three – but hadn’t realized until this moment the passion with which she and Spectre Shepard viewed the cause of that death.  With a contemplative expression, he spoke in a near whisper.  “That admiral could still be charged with a war crime, Spectres.  Added to his involvement in the current piracy of law-abiding citizens, I seriously doubt he’d be able to escape justice.”

Shepard actually chuckled.  “He will never see the inside of a court of law, Leon.  That’s why the council created the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance group.  Eliminating the leaders of the Quarian rebellion is well within our mandate of preserving galactic stability.”

“Yeah, and don’t forget about Xen; we can’t let her escape justice either.  I can easily see her attempting to push her portion of the blame for all this misery onto Gerrel, because I very much doubt ‘evil brilliance’ as a contribution to the cause is a punishable offense.”  Ashley shook her head in disgust before continuing, “Even so, if we honestly want to plan a surgical strike to take out Xen and Gerrel, we’re certainly going to need more than a few ships to assist us, Shepard.”  Ashley walked up to her friend and added softly, “It would be very helpful for the _Destiny Ascension_ and an escort fleet to accompany us when we confront the bastards, if for no other reason than to at least make an _attempt_ at peace… and then provide a distraction should further intervention prove necessary.  I seriously doubt even Daro’Xen has anything that will scratch the paint on that dreadnaught, so anyone aboard should be safe.”

As was her way, Tali’Zorah had simply listened to the discussion since entering the War Room with Shepard and Liara.  In a shy tone, she offered, “I will be more than happy to work with Edi or Judea, in order to come up with some type of shielding against this directed energy pulse... or any other weapons Daro’Xen may have created.  I did not help Shepard destroy the Collectors and the Reapers only to see my people destroy ships belonging to other races or place the _Geth_ back under Quarian rule… though, it seems as though they are intent on getting the Quarian people exiled once more.”  Tali paused for only a moment before continuing, “Regarding the pulse weapon, we should be able to come up with some type of diffraction shielding that can cause destructive interference… and lessen the intensity to tolerable levels…”

“Whoa.”  Shepard held up her hand to stop Tali’s explanation.  “Save the details, Tali.  I fully trust you and Edi, especially if you bring Judea and Miranda into the mix, to come up with a solution.  There aren’t really any options for us until you do, unless we decide to simply dive right in, weapons blazing.”

Liara responded, her words directed at Samantha as she said, “But there are many innocents who have been forced into serving the rebellion, only because they were unfortunate enough to be assigned to the Heavy Fleet when Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen defected.”  She scowled at the thought and finished, “Who, unlike Len’Dazza, don’t have a way to successfully escape the Fleet… without ending up dead.”

Shepard leaned on the railing surrounding the display and nodded in agreement.  “You’re right, of course, so we’re decided… it has to be some kind of infiltration mission.”  She glanced at Liara for confirmation and turned to her fellow Spectre.  “We’ll come up with a plan, then Liara and I will head back to the CGC, Ash… meet with Tevos first and then the full council.  This crap has gone on long enough and we need to end it, once and for all.  Unfortunately, I’m not sure if even Tevos will favor our plan to end the rebellion, should reconciliation talks fail.”

Liara quietly added, “Should peace talks fail, I am certain the Council has no other options left them except to allow you to proceed with your plan.  Given their actions to date, it is obvious we cannot allow these rogue Quarians the freedom to continue on their present course of killing innocents for their own gain… and Tevos already informed us that she believes a full-scale conflict would likely cause irreparable damage.”

Shepard slapped her open palms on the table and stood upright.  “Then I guess there’s only one way for us to be certain about our next move.”  She looked to Ashley and quietly queried, “So, do you see any reason to keep this hush-hush while I visit with the crew?”

“Absolutely not.”  Ashley’s gaze was directed at Leon as she continued, “Just like you used to, we keep no secrets from our crew; everyone aboard knows what we’re doing out here, including the reasons and all the risks associated with our actions.”

Shepard grinned at her fellow Spectre as she answered, “Which is the exact reason I insisted on giving _you_ my ship, Ashley.”

Ashley grinned.  “With honor and integrity; it’s the only way to serve, Skipper.”

\-------------------------------

“I’m glad you decided to not rush your return to Widow, Sam.”  Karin was smiling as she looked into her glass of Serrice ice.  “It feels good to catch up with you and Liara.  Being out here, comm out, has been difficult.”

“You’re telling me?”  Samantha huffed out a little chuckle and continued, “I experienced that for months, remember?  When I first woke up on that damned Cerberus station, I didn’t know what had happened or where anyone was… and, it seemed, no one I knew had any answers either… at least none they were willing to share.  Talk about feeling disconnected…”

Karin’s expression was shadowed as she answered, “I know… and if I had known that Cerberus could actually bring you back, I certainly would have kept better tabs on everyone, so I could have answered those questions for you, once you came aboard.”  She looked up, her eyes welling with sadness.  “I hope you realize that.”

Shepard reached over and grasped the woman’s forearm.  “Of course, I do, Aunt Karin.  I’m sorry if that sounded accusatory, because that’s not how I intended it.  I know you and Liara did everything you could to keep things moving forward while I was gone.”  She smiled and glanced between her two drinking partners.  “You made sure I had something to come back to – I can never thank you enough for that.”

“Yes, you can.”  Liara answered quietly.  “By never making us go through anything like that, ever again.”

A smile quirked at the corners of Samantha’s mouth as she answered, “That’s a deal, Liara.”  She looked back and forth between her bondmate and her aunt as her voice rang with conviction.  “Quarians be damned!  I have no intention of letting them, or anyone else for that matter, be the cause of my early demise.  I promise you that!”

\-------------------------------

It was late by the time Shepard and Liara finished their visits with the crew.  As the last of them trickled out of the lounge, Liara approached her bondmate and drew the woman into her arms, nestling her head into the welcoming pocket of the woman’s shoulder.  “I love you, Sam.”

Shepard closed her eyes and drew in a long, slow breath through her nose, reveling in the scents of eezo and Thessian Rose that she always associated with her _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _._   “I love you too, Liara.  I couldn’t have done any of this without you, you know.”

The Asari smirked as she answered, “I know.”  More serious, she added on, “But that goes both ways, _Siame_.  We are a team… have been since we met that fateful day on Therum.”  She pulled back and looked into her bondmate’s stunning emerald eyes.  “You trusted me when few others did, thinking me a traitor… as they did with my mother.  I can never thank you enough for that, nor for everything else that followed.”  Her lips curled into a loving smile.  “You have brought me more joy in these past few years than I ever imagined I would discover in my entire century-plus-long life… and we have much yet to enjoy.”

“I’ve also brought you unimaginable pain, Liara, which I am always amazed you can forgive.”  Sam sighed heavily.  “My heart aches whenever those memories surface, because I know what I feel through the link is only a shard of the true measure of your feelings.  How can you look at me without your heart breaking, after all the suffering I have caused you?”

“Don’t be silly, Sam… and all you need to do is join with me and you know the answer to that question.  I put the blame where it belongs… on the war… and on those who insisted it always be you that was thrown into the fray, never letting either of us rest unless forced to do so by injuries we sustained in battle.  Why do you ask this now?”  She paused as a thought shot through the link.  “You are afraid of the upcoming conflict with the Quarians.”

“Yes… well, no.  Not the conflict itself, but of what Xen and Gerrel will do once they realize they’ve been cornered.  I fear how they will react… the lengths to which they will go.”

“Agreed.”  Liara reached out and lovingly stroked the side of Shepard’s face before tucking an errant strand of hair up behind the woman’s adorable left ear.  “Which is why we have come up with an infiltration plan… to take their weapons systems down first, and then the two Admirals as a quick second, preferably as close to simultaneous as possible, to ensure neither has a chance to do anything cataclysmic.  It’s going to work, Sam…  It has to.”

“Ooohhh.”  A slight smile returned to the Spectre’s face.  “I like your confidence, Dr T’Soni.”

“Partners until the end, Shepard… which I fully intend to be a very, _very_ long time from now.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, Blue.”  She glanced at the chrono on the wall.  “Let’s roust someone to take us back to the _Knight Shade_ , so we can head back to the CGC.  I truly believe that the sooner we get started, the better.”

\-------------------------------

**Darius Barcroft Compound, Noveria, Pax System – 3 Dec 2188**

_Enterprise Security Systems_.  B’Sayle had chuckled when she read the line regarding which locally-monitored security and defensive system Barcroft had installed at his facility on Noveria.  Many of the jobs they had run with Aethyta had included installing and monitoring one of these exact same systems.  It was the perimeter defense system of choice for corporations who wanted to run their own private security – especially those who _needed_ to do so, without worry of interference from actual law enforcement of any kind – and perfect for the types of activities that occurred in places such as Noveria, where avoiding such encounters was of great importance.

Barcroft ran a commercial data-mining company; some ‘real’ work to put in the records… enough to pass the business off as a legitimate enterprise… but he also contracted for a rather ambitious quantity of industrial espionage and other similarly illegal endeavors.  Liara would have been perfectly fine with him continuing his work, had he stayed away from the Broker network, which he seemed incapable of doing.  He had made a few unsuccessful intrusion attempts into her own network while she was on Illium; unfortunately, that had not been the end of his interference.  Once she took over the Broker network, she soon discovered he had successfully hacked into at least four other data nodes.  When the Shadow Broker contacted him directly and demanded that he cease and desist with his network attacks, he had simply laughed and replied with a challenging, “Make me.”

Until now, against her own better judgement, Liara had chosen to ignore him, even though she realized his operation was likely a very large factor in the rumors circulating throughout the intelligence community that the Broker had gone soft.  Along with her enforcement team, Roshida B’Sayle was here to show Barcroft exactly why crossing the Shadow Broker – who, at the time, had been preoccupied with helping to save the galaxy – was not an action that would long remain unanswered.  Team B’Sayle would provide Barcroft the first solid proof his days of disparaging the Broker were now a thing of the past; free of any obligation to keep the galaxy from being destroyed by the Reapers, the Shadow Broker was about to demonstrate the folly of being disregarded by those of lesser capabilities.

The journey to Noveria was not exactly short; the FTL from Juxhi – out in Batarian space in the Skyllian Verge – to Kite’s Nest used the greatest portion of their travel time, followed closely by having to await the Exodus Cluster relay realignment before they could make the final jump to Pax.  It was several hours after their departure from the warehouse when they finally found themselves on the ground on Noveria, the cold wind biting into them as they used the cover of darkness to construct their temporary shelter. 

The blinding snowfall would likely hide their presence well enough, but they still set up and energized the cloaking device that came along with the deployment package, just to be certain.  Once they were done, Roshida turned to her infiltration specialist, Erinna Thyria.  “Passive scans only for the first couple of hours, then do a perimeter check just before dawn.  I’d like to know which model they are using so we can identify which command codes we need for an override.”

“Can do, Captain.”  Erin scowled as she added, “I sure do hope this new, fancy armor has good environmental controls…  I’m not really up for freezing my ass off out there.”

“It had better.”  B’Sayle frowned.  “I don’t want you risking your life for this.  If you start to get cold, don’t try to tough it out, understand?  Head back right away… we’ll get you warmed up and get the environmental controls for your armor sorted out.  No sense freezing to death; Solo promised none of us would die on this mission and I don’t intend to prove him wrong.”


	4. Making Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
> QEC - Quantum Entanglement Communicator
> 
> SILC - Synthetic Intelligence Life Codes (previously known as Geth)
> 
> STG - Special Tasks Group

**Darius Barcroft Compound, Noveria, Pax System – 3 Dec 2188**

As infiltration specialist Erinna Thyria slipped out through the doorway and began moving toward the facility, she activated her new armor’s ‘stealth’ function.  She had expected a cloak of some kind, but quickly realized her armor was equipped with some type of environmental sensing capability – as her entire suit began to shift color to a mottled-gray-white.  She held her hand out and tipped her head as she whispered quietly into her comm, “Can you see this through my helmet cam, Captain?  It’s amazing!  And, by the way, the environmental control seems to be working great as well.”

“Be careful, Erin…”  Roshida was frowning as she spoke.  “That suit almost works _too_ well.  If we hadn’t known your intended path, it would be extremely difficult to locate you.  We watched as you disappeared; even thermal scans are negligible, yet you aren’t even the least bit chilled?”

“No… it’s _perfect_.”  They could hear the relieved joy in Erin’s voice.  “Like I’m strolling the streets of Armali on a beautiful spring day.”

“Well, you’re definitely not on Thessia, so don’t get cocky.  Be careful out there.”  Roshida sighed quietly and continued, “Time to go comm-out until you return here, unless you need emergency assistance…  Be back here in under two, or I’ll have your hide.”

“If I’m not back in less than two hours, I imagine it highly likely someone else will have my hide by then, Captain.”  Erin grinned, the humor she felt making itself apparent through her closing transmission.  “I’ll be back on time; I promise.  Thyria, out.”

Shutting down the camera so the guards, in the unlikely event she was actually caught, couldn’t back-trace her route, Erin continued her circuitous route.  Coming up to the main entrance from the side, she could see two guards through her helm-integrated siting scope, so she reactivated her helm-cam to take video of her entire approach from this point forward.  The guards looked cold and distracted, making her wonder how long they had been out there.  _I should have made note of the shift changes before I came out here…  I wonder if that was even in the file?_  

She knew as soon as the thought went through her mind that the information had not been there; she would have remembered a detail like that.  _No time to worry about that now.  I have work to do_.  She very carefully pulled out a small, portable, night-surveillance camera and tripod kit and set it up, including activation of its micro-cloak, and pointed it at the doorway.  _I’ll be back for you later, little one._

Noting the tripod’s precise coordinates, she moved on and repeated the same process five more times, once at each exterior doorway.  Two of the six were not physically guarded but had multiple cameras, constantly in motion, monitoring the approaches.  After sitting at each door long enough to establish the coverage patterns, she cursed silently.  _They know their stuff… or, at least, whoever installed the system did; there’s no break in coverage to be able to get close enough to hack even one of them, much less every single one covering the door… at either location.  Blazes!  That means we will likely have to do this the hard way._

It was roughly an hour and forty-five minutes later when she reentered the shelter.  Looking to Captain B’Sayle, Erin asked, “So, which do you want first, the good news or the bad?”

“Both, and it doesn’t matter which comes first.  Just give it to us.”  Roshida smiled to soften her words.  She didn’t intend them to be hurtful; she simply didn’t want to spend any more time on this cold rock than was absolutely necessary.  The longer they sat around, the greater their chances of discovery.

Specialist Thyria flashed a quick smile and explained what she had done.  “The good news is the guards are cold and complacent… the bad news is that they have every reason to be the latter.  That place appears to be locked down tight… but as Aethyta always used to say, every defense has a weakness.  The question is, can we find it.”  She paused and shrugged.  “So, I’m afraid I’ll have to go back out in… let’s say… maybe sixteen to eighteen hours and collect the cameras.  I plan to bring them back here, where we can look at the data and figure out their guard rotation patterns in an attempt to discover the best way in.”

“Damn.  That’s a long time to be just sitting around.”  Roshida pursed her lips.  “No way to get close enough to confirm which model system they have?”

“Not really… Not without taking a pair of the guards down.”  Erin wrinkled her nose at the thought.  “Nothing like screaming ‘we’re here at the front door’ when we’re trying to be subtle.”

Roshida and the rest of the crew couldn’t help but laugh at that and the captain was still smiling when she managed to finally say, “Guess you’re right about that… but perhaps that’s exactly what Solo had in mind… to not even attempt being subtle.  He did make a point of saying it was lightly defended and nothing we couldn’t handle.”

Her second, Lieutenant Celia M’Creno voiced, “You think it’s a test?”

“Very well could be… to see just how we’ll approach it.  We have the option to sit here, overly cautious, for many hours… each one that passes increasing our risk of discovery, or we trust Solo’s info and our battle instincts and simply go in.”  Her gaze returned to her infiltrator as she asked, “Best guess on the system?”

“Doesn’t look like they spared any expense.”  A grin crossed Specialist Thyria’s face and she chuckled, “Of course, if I knew I’d pissed off the Shadow Broker, I don’t think I would skimp, either; I’d be willing to pay for the best system out there.  I’d also have an emergency, remote, data-dump back-up system for my information… as well as a concealed back-door escape route for my analysts.”  She paused in thought before adding, “My best guess on the security system is that it’s a model 2102A… with automated rotational coding.  Only way in is to get a passkey and a handprint to activate it.”

“We’re tasked with killing them all anyway,” growled Huntress Catalina T’Gelvos.  “So, what the fuck are we screwing around for?  Four entries with guards, six of us and two gunships.  I say the gunships each take a door and we split into two groups, with each taking one of the remaining two doors.”

“Or, the five of you go in one while I cover the second.”  Joya S’Raxia shrugged.  “I simply snipe the two guards and then kill anyone else who comes out.”

Roshida looked at her sniper and smiled.  “That would work, but I’d want Celia with you as a back-up.  No one goes solo on the entry.”

The lieutenant nodded in agreement and added, “Which means, the very second we breach the doors, we’ll need to have the _Kirkliston_ start active scanning… with the gunships intercepting anyone that makes it to an exit… any exit.”

“And if Barcroft doesn’t care about the lives of his employees?”  Huntress Condella Selani frowned.  “Just because passive scans didn’t pick up explosives, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there.  They might be shielded… and could blow us to bits before we get five steps in the door.”

“Excellent point, Del.”  Roshida bobbed her head.  “So, I want you scanning for shields while Cat scans for explosives.”  Her eyes shifted back to her infiltrator as she added, “And I want you keeping your eyes open for anyone like you.  Cloaks, thermal blocks, concealed defensive turrets, whatever.  If we’re going to do this, we go in hard and fast.  Got it?”

Erin looked at the Captain and smirked.  “And just what are you going to be doing then, since it seems we’ll be doing all the work?”

B’Sayle’s face was an emotionless mask as she answered, “I’ll be taking point and ruthlessly killing everyone I see, while you… all of you… cover my ass and keep me from getting shot or blown up by some stealthy Pyjak hiding in the shadows.”

“Goddess be damned.”  The smirk quickly fell away from Erin’s face as she drew a sharp breath, understanding that Roshida was planning on doing the majority of the killing herself… so the rest of them didn’t have to.  “I suppose I’ll just shut the fuck up now.”

\-------------------------------

**Abandoned Mine, Undisclosed Location, Milky Way – 4 Dec 2188**

Jorè Lentos looked at Arick Vythan, the small colony’s lead scientist, in awe.  “You have made amazing progress, working with Aelia.  She informed me more than fifty of the seventy-four remaining viable females have been successfully implanted with eggs created solely from our genetic cache!”

“Yes.”  Arick’s smile carried the hopeful enthusiasm that was missing from his brief response.  “Assuming they all come to term like our successful birth three months past, it will increase our genetic viability significantly by adding fifty-three completely new sets of recombinant genomes, a twenty-six percent increase to our current population’s genetic diversity.”

“And the others?”  Lentos stared at the scientist in anticipation of his answer.

“Have not yet sufficiently recovered from their long sleep to enter into estrus.”  Arick saw the scowl that formed on the administrator’s face and quickly added, “And I do not care to force them.  We’ve already had one small rebellion and Lenes ended up dead; we cannot afford a repeat of that event.”

Knowing Vythan was correct, Jorè sighed in acceptance.  “Understood.  However tempting it may be, I would never order you to do so.  As First Female, I do believe Aelia would see to it that I was the one who ended up dead if I ever tried such a thing.”  A trace of a smirk crept onto his face.  “And, she would be correct in doing so, as it would be an unnecessary stress on our people.  Our current path is leading to success; the trip simply may take a bit longer than we anticipated; and compliments of the current races leading the galaxy, we have the luxury of time… for the first time in a very long while.”

“That we do, but the latest scouting reports from Ruso are cause for worry, are they not?”

Lentos pursed his lips in contemplation for a few brief moments before answering, “Yes.  The increase in activity in this sector is making it more difficult to avoid detection.  I thought we were safe from discovery out here on the fringes of the galaxy, but it may not be so.”

“Are you reconsidering splitting the colony into two and sending half of us to the new outpost?”  Arick sounded surprised at the possibility, as they had voted unanimously against it at their last leadership meeting.

“I remain… uncertain.”  Lentos shook his head slightly.  “I believe the risk is great… especially now, with the increase in activity; it will make it that much more difficult to move any large mass without being detected.  As much as I feel it necessary to split our population for survival reasons, I do not believe we should risk it…  Our situation is not yet that dire, and likely will not become so for at least another twenty or so years.”

Relieved, Arick replied, “Good for you.  I concur with your assessment, particularly because we do have the second outpost well established now.  They, alone, are not genetically viable, but at least it gives us a place to which we can escape, and the longer we can wait, the better equipped they can be to receive our shuttles when the time _does_ come.”  He smiled and added, “That is why we trust you to be our leader, Jorè.  Your decisions are well reasoned and come not only from your heart, but from your logical mind.”

“I would like to believe so.”  Lentos offered up a quick smile at his friend and added, “Though, even with that said, I would not be against _gradually_ relocating our new mothers-to-be to the outpost, a few at a time, on our supply runs.  Sending only two on each monthly run would move almost half of the fifty-plus over the next year’s time.”

Arick opened his eyes wide in surprise for a moment, before eventually responding, “Perhaps that would be a reasonable compromise.  In the long-run, it would certainly provide the outpost with needed personnel, and improve the genetic viability of its population, should we ever be discovered and attacked, here.”  Arick pursed his lips, drawing the small cleft in the base of his chin together in thought.  “I will approach Aelia with this concept; I do believe she will see the wisdom in such an approach.  It meets our long-term goals while minimizing our risk of exposure as best able…  Yes, she will likely agree with such a plan.”

“Do you want to do this alone… or shall we approach her, together, so she understands we are a united front?”

“Let me do this alone, Lentos.  I think she will be more open to the suggestion if it comes from me.”

“Good luck, then.”  Jorè’s voice became solemn.  “We need to do this, Arick; our own ‘Cosmic Imperative’ demands it.  We either build ourselves up, to once again be at least equal to those who now rule this galaxy or, eventually, we will be consumed by them, our lives and our culture possibly forfeit.  The very essence of the Prothean race depends upon our success, Doctor.”

“I do not believe it necessary, but I will remind First Female Dethan of the import of this decision when I speak with her, Administrator.  Luck has little to do with this; we either succeed or we perish.  It truly is as simple as that.”

\-------------------------------

**Darius Barcroft Compound, Noveria, Pax System – 4 Dec 2188**

The team monitored the facility through the dark of night and quickly learned the shift changes were every six hours.  Given Noveria’s fifty-two-hour daily solar cycle, it was easy for the two teams to deploy while still under the cover of darkness, veiling their ever-cautious approach.  B’Sayle had coordinated for the arrival of the gunships to occur at the exact same time the main team would be breaching the doors.  The whine of the A-61s’ arrival was first punctuated by the burst of gunfire from their M350 mass-accelerator autocannons, only to be swiftly obscured by the roar of rockets screaming from their underwing launchers.

The main team never heard the bark of Joy’s sniper rifle, which was easily swallowed by the rockets’ ensuing explosions.  Joy had shot the guard to the left at the same time Cel had grabbed the one on the right, suspending him in mid-air until Joy reloaded and took him out with her second shot.  As she reloaded again, in case any of the occupants decided to exit the building through that particular doorway, she complained quietly.  “You take all the fun out of my job, Lieutenant.”

“A lot of people are going to be dying today, Joy.”  Celia remained focused on the doorway, so couldn’t see the recalcitrant face of the sniper as she continued, “I’m just making sure neither of us is going to be one of them.”

When the gunships opened fire, Huntresses Catalina ‘Cat’ T’Gelvos and Condella ‘Del’ Selani made quick work of the two guards covering their assigned doorway.  The group moved forward, and Erin set to work hacking the passcode; only a moment passed before she asked for help moving one of the guards close enough to hold his hand to the scanner.  The door slid almost silently to the side and the team entered cautiously, expecting some sort of resistance.  Upon finding none, Erin popped open the map display provided in their mission brief as they began to move quickly down the passage.

“The first research area is just around this corner… so hold up.”  Erin moved by the group and crouched down just shy of the corner.  Slipping a small mirror out, she peeked around the edge; two defensive cannons were pointed up the hallway, so she turned back to the squad.  “Going to need you, Captain.  Two small cannons, about five meters down the hall, ceiling mounted… so throw up your aegis and step around… they should come down with minimal effort.  Cat and Del can shoot ‘em, and I’ll shock the shit out of ‘em until they either short or explode.”  She flashed a quick grin.  “We’ll see who wins the prize.”

“Everyone ready?”  B’Sayle drew a deep breath.  “Once we step around this corner, there will be no hiding our presence… so, be ready to keep moving.  Shields at max.”  She drew on her biotics and pulled up her aegis barrier, moving quickly forward.  “Let’s get this done.”

The cannon on the left exploded, while the cannon on the right sizzled for a moment before catching on fire.  Captain B’Sayle chuckled, “Looks like that one’s a draw… but here comes the first tie-breaker!”

As the gunfire erupted in the hallway, the first of the security guards stepped out into the passageway, gun drawn, and started firing.  He went down quickly, but someone within the research room was quick enough to sound the alarm before anyone from the team made it to the door.  As the warning siren began wailing, the commando team stepped over the guard and entered the room, simply opening fire and killing every single one of the occupants.

\-------------------------------

The same pattern repeated itself over and over, a few of the rooms completely empty of employees, even though steaming mugs of hot beverages and partially eaten plates of food told the story of recent occupancy.  The secure comm crackled in their headsets.  “Lieutenant M’Creno here.  Gunships are making a lot of noise, and Joy and I have probably taken out twelve or so employees… happy to dispel any false hopes they held, thinking they had made good on an escape from the facility.  We did see a Jiris deploy… so my guess is the _Kirkliston_ detected warm bodies where there shouldn’t have been, so don’t go out any exit tunnels…  You might get shot.”

“Understood,” B’Sayle answered quickly.  “Knowing they would be on-station, we had no intention of doing so.”  She signaled the group to move on as she continued, “The only real resistance we met was at the security armory.  The rest has been relatively fast and easy, a few cloaked scientists hiding here and there, but the place is bigger than it looks on a map display.  Though, we _did_ find a self-destruct function, which Erin has temporarily disengaged.  We will go back to the control room and activate it… to make sure there is absolutely nothing left of this building once we are done cleaning house here.  Probably only another twenty before we head in your direction.”

“Got it.  We’ll be ready to roll when you are.”  As she terminated the call, Celia reached over Joy’s shoulder and pointed off to her left.  “Cloak shimmer, maybe three meters left of the door.”

The sniper rifle barked sharply and a Salarian came into view only briefly before collapsing into the snow.  “Got your back, Lieutenant.  Go do your thing.”

M’Creno made her way cautiously to the location where she thought the scientist fell, only to find a trail of green dots leading off through the snow.  “He’s alive… and must have had a back-up cloaking generator, Joy.  I’m following the blood trail but keep scanning for that shimmer!”

Another bark of the rifle and Joy’s voice came back.  “Head back, Cel.  He realized the error of his ways and tried to get back to the door.”

“Got it.”  The lieutenant walked to her right and made a wide arc, finding the returning trail and tracking it to the Salarian to confirm the kill.  “Second was a clean shot, Joy.  He’s not getting up from that one.”

She made her way carefully back to the sniper perch and it was only an additional eight minutes before they got the final call from B’Sayle.  “We are approaching your door… and would greatly appreciate you not shooting any of us as we exit; we have only three minutes remaining on the self-destruct.”

“Understood.”  The lieutenant focused on her sniper and got a nod of confirmation, Joy knowing exactly what Celia was asking with no more than a glance.  “As soon as we have a visual on you, we will head back and start breaking down the camp for redeployment.”

“Good idea.  We will meet you there in a few.  B’Sayle out.”

\-------------------------------

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 8 Dec 2188**

Returning to the CGC, Shepard sent Tali’Zorah and Len’Dazza to the apartment, to reconfigure the environmental controls, while she, Liara and Riana headed to the Council offices to speak with Tevos.

“By the Goddess!”  Tevos sat back in her chair, shocked by Shepard’s update briefing.  “They have managed to secure a small fleet of stealth vessels?  How did they do this, entirely without us detecting their activity?”

“We already knew they had somehow developed the technology, the first evidence being the Envoy ship we encountered when we flew out to meet them at Rannoch.  I suppose we could have monitored them, but they had agreed to help us… and it’s not like we had an excess of resources to divert to spy on our allies.”  Liara shrugged.  “Even if we had, I’m not sure we would have noticed them picking up the cast-offs from the Andromeda Initiative… whose stealth technology was the best of the best at the time…  But, do not forget we now have a few add-ons, which we’ve gleaned from additional Reaper tech collected during the war.” 

“Agreed, Liara.”  Tevos frowned as she replied, “But, we also have to realize we have no reliable information on what Admiral Daro’Xen vas Moreh may have come up with to improve those systems during all this time since the war.”  The Councilor let out a heavy sigh.  “We’ve waited too long, and this has become a nearly impossible situation.”

“It would certainly be a difficult fight if we chose to approach them head-on, Councilor.  A lot of people would end up dead if we were to make such an attempt.”  Shepard grimaced.  “But nothing’s impossible.”

“I hope you are correct, Shepard… unfortunately, it is patently obvious we have to do _something_.”  Tevos’ eyes clouded in anger.  “They are ruthlessly killing Council citizens and must be stopped!”

“Yes, their actions must be curtailed, for certain,” Liara answered, nodding in agreement.  “And while we realize you prefer a _negotiated_ settlement to the conflict, given their recent activities, we have our doubts that such a path is viable.”

“I remember what I said last time we talked, but…”  Tevos paused and sighed in defeat, visibly slumping in her chair.  “I truly see no motivation for them to cease their attacks… as, it seems, we are totally unable to interdict and stop them.  We have no leverage to speak of, other than bringing the military power of the Council to bear.”  Her eyes glazed over slightly, and she shook her head, looking at Liara to meet the resolute blue eyes of the younger Asari. 

“It is times like this that I most miss your mother, Liara.  She was always our best, and sometimes _only_ , option at finding a peaceful solution when no one else could.  We need her now… yet, the hidden costs of the Reaper War continue to emerge, even a year-and-a-half following the end of the conflict.”  Despite her best efforts to keep rein on her emotions, she was forced to wipe away a single tear that escaped to trickle down her cheek as she rhetorically queried, “Will it never end?”

“I would revel in the opportunity to observe her at work… to see how she would resolve this current crisis.  There remains so much about her that I never had the opportunity to learn.”  Liara’s heart clenched in her chest and she reached over to clasp one of Tevos’ hands, her own eyes now brimming with tears as she swallowed and continued, “You are not the only one who misses her, Raesia.  Every time I return to the Estate I am reminded of her absence; her ghost still stands in nearly every corner… sometimes comforting… other times?  Not so much.”

“I imagine so, Little Wing.”  Tevos forced a smile onto her face and squeezed Liara’s hand in return.  “And, I also imagine my sorrow must be terribly pale in comparison to your own grief.  I do know, however, if your mother was here, she would be scolding the both of us for thinking as we are.  She’d tell us to sit up straight and get to the business of solving the problem, instead of wallowing in self-pity over our previous failures.”  She released Liara’s hand and stood from her chair, turning and walking slowly to the windows that looked toward the outer ring of the station.  After a brief moment of contemplative silence, she turned back to her visitors.  “And, knowing you, you would not have returned without a plan… even knowing I would not like it.  So, let me hear it.”

\-------------------------------

Many of the Council members sat in shocked silence for a few moments following Tevos’ and Shepard’s announcement.  The Quarian Councilor, Eri’Addan vas Rannoch, simply dropped his head into his hands and angrily muttered under his breath, “Keelah!  I knew their actions would eventually lead to war, the stupid Bosh’tets!”

With a scathing glance directed at the Quarian, Councilor Quentius growled, “About damned time!  I was beginning to wonder if the Turians were going to have to take unilateral action to solve this.”  His gaze floated to Osoba and the flanging of his voice indicated extreme irritation as he continued, “But that happened once before, over Relay 314, and we all know how that ended… a stalemate that ended with a lot of dead soldiers and little progress to show for it.  Not so good for any of us.”

“That’s not entirely true.”  Tevos stared at him as she continued, “It brought us the Humans, who have since proven their value to the Council… especially during the Reaper War.”

“Yes, yes… I know.”  Quentius waved a dismissive hand in the air.  “It’s just that the damned Quarians have been raiding our colonies and attacking our ships for months.  It’s way past time for us to get around to doing something about it!”

Valern, in his standard, derisive and irritatingly calm voice, countered, “And what would you have us do?  Rush in without the proper preparation… against an extremely well-armed and entrenched enemy?  That’s exactly what happened at Relay 314, and why the Humans were able to battle you to a stalemate.”  His attention turned to Shepard.  “This is what Spectre Williams has been doing on the Rim this entire time.  Gathering information about the enemy and preparing for this precise scenario.  Has the time come, Shepard?”

As Shepard went to answer, she was cut off by an angry Quentius.  “Of course, it has!  What a stupid question!  I’m tired of playing the victim… I want justice for all the Turian citizens murdered by these rogues!”

“We have no desire to attack the Creators.”   In the ensuing surprised silence. Prime Huulik added, “Yet, we have become the SILC… and we will not be re-enslaved.  It is what caused the Morning War and resulted in both their exile from Rannoch and their expulsion from the Council.  I do not believe anyone wants that history repeated.”

Urdnot Jara growled, “So you won’t help us in the upcoming battle?”

“That is not what I stated.”  Huulik turned his head toward the large female Krogan.  “The SILC will join in the fight for a guaranteed future of independence.”

“You are speaking of my people, yet no one thinks to ask the Quarian Councilor’s opinion?”  Eri’Addan banged a fist on the table.  “You have no right to decide this issue in a vacuum, without Quarian input.  Why were the Admirals not given advance warning of this agenda item?  Were they even offered the opportunity to attend this meeting?”

“No, they weren’t… that’s what _you’re_ here for!”  Quentius sneered at him and growled, “Besides which, it’s _your_ Heavy Fleet and you and your admirals, apparently, have neither the capacity nor the will to do what needs to be done, or the attacks would have ended months ago, you sniveling little worm!”

“How dare you!”  Eri leaned toward the Turian and it looked as if he was ready to jump across the table to grab Quentius by the throat, but any actions he was considered were cut off by Tevos.

“Enough!”  The normally calm and collected Asari stood rapidly to her feet, knocking over her chair as she slapped both palms on the table, resulting in a rather loud, combined bang.  “What will it take to make us come to a decision?  How many more citizens need to die because of our inaction?  Any new deaths from this point forward will be on _our_ heads if we fail to do… _something_!  We must act!”

Councilor Jara practically clapped in agreement.  “Agreed!  All this talk is distressing, when there is obvious action that needs to be taken!”  Scowling across the table, she looked to Tevos as she offered up Krogan assistance.  “I will have it known that Urdnot Wrex has offered to give you all three platoons of Aralakh Company to use as boarders, even if only for a distraction; cracking skulls is cracking skulls, no matter the justification behind it…  And we gained so much prestige fighting the Reapers on Palaven, we are happy to help out our new friends yet again, no matter the foe.”

Even considering the circumstances behind the offer, Shepard had to suppress a smile as she answered, “That sounds like Wrex… and I’d be happy to take him up on the offer of Grunt and his Krogan warriors.  I fought side-by-side with them on Utukku and can speak from experience…  They’ll most definitely make one Hell of a distraction!”

“Then it is decided.”  Quentius sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in smug satisfaction.  “About damned time.  Now we just need to work out the details.” 

“It is _not_ decided!”  Eri glared at Tevos as he continued, “There has been no vote.”

Tevos sighed and returned to her seat.  “You are correct, so I will pose the question.”  She paused for just a moment to put the right words together before asking, “Shall the Council authorize the formation of a battle group to confront the Quarian Rebel Heavy Fleet…”  She continued, emphasizing the second portion of the proposal.  “… until the rebels either capitulate to Council demands or they are defeated or even _destroyed_ , should they refuse to yield?”

As Urdnot Jara and Councilor Quentius practically raced to see who could be first to enter their ‘yes’ vote, Tevos glared at them as she said, “This is a very serious matter.  Please take a moment to consider all the implications before entering your decision.”

Her plea for reasonable diligence fell on deaf ears and the panel indicator lit green in mere moments, indicating all the votes had been cast.  “It appears we have reached a decision.”

Looking at the faces surrounding the table, her lips drew to a straight line as she read the results aloud.  “Four primary votes, a unanimous ‘yes,’ for a total of eight points.  Of the six junior votes, we have three ‘yes’ votes, two ‘no’ votes, and one abstention… for a result of eleven for and two against.  The measure has passed.”

“Who, besides the Quarian, voted against?” growled an irritated Quentius.

“Do not presume to know peoples’ minds, Councilor.”  Tevos gave him a cool stare as she replied, “Calyn abstained, and the opposing votes were cast by the Volus and Rachni representatives, not Councilor Addan.”

Quentius gaped at the Quarian as Eri turned his head to him and stated, “Just because I asked about whether the other Admirals had been informed, do not presume to think I do not see the need for action to be taken.”  He looked around the table and shook his head in disgust.  “My only regret is that we, as the Quarian people, do not have the capability to handle these rebels on our own.”

“And you, Calyn?”  Quentius turned to the Elcor Councilor, asking, “This is important; why did you abstain?”

“Dismayed: As this is to be a space battle and we are ill-suited to such a conflict, we cannot participate.”  The Elcor paused.  “Cautious: We do not feel we have a right to vote on a conflict in which we play no physical role.  Inevitable conclusion: It is not proper for us to send others into danger when we cannot be party to the same risks.”

“Dismayed?”  Tevos’ forehead wrinkled in contemplation.  “This is still a Council action, Calyn.  Whether or not the Elcor can physically participate in the action has no bearing on the vote.  If the Elcor _could_ participate… how would you have voted?”

“Jaded revelation:  The Elcor may have previously suffered many slights under Council rule but have rarely been left unprotected.  Happy admission: During the war, Spectre Shepard directed an evacuation of Dekuuna when no others would come to our aid, saving those she could.  Thoughtful speculation:  If she believes this Quarian action necessary and we could participate at equal risk, we would assist in saving the SILC from servitude.”

Quentius glanced at Tevos and stated, “So, honestly, that’s another yes, not that it matters.”

“You are correct.  It doesn’t matter… the votes have been cast.”  Tevos surveyed the expressions on the faces of her compatriots and squared her shoulders, wondering how they would react to her next statement.  “Given the time sensitive nature of the issue, Spectre Shepard felt it appropriate to come prepared with an initial proposal.  If this is acceptable, I will turn the floor over to her, so she may explain her plan.”

“By all means.”  Jara leaned forward, an eager glint in her eyes.  “Let’s get this party started!”

\-------------------------------

**Shadow Broker Warehouse, Juxhi, Skyllian Verge – 9 Dec 2188**

Captain B’Sayle stepped into Commander Arern’s office and smiled.  “You needed to see me?”

“Yes, yes.  Please, do come in.  Have a seat.”  He waived a hand toward one of the chairs across from his desk and opened up his omni-tool.  “Just give me a moment to find the report.”

“Report?”

“Yes.  From Specialist Aldaberto, of course.”  Solo glanced up as his newest team leader coughed.  “I’m sorry.  Did you not realize you would be evaluated?”

“Are you joking?  A new team on our first mission?  I was absolutely positive we would be.”  Roshida grinned at the suddenly concerned looking Salarian.  “I just didn’t think you’d waste time with a debriefing… and Bert didn’t say a word about any formal ‘after mission’ reviews, so I’m just surprised by this, that’s all.”

“Ahhh.”  Relieved, Solo flashed a relieved smile in return.  “Normally, we would not… but your results exceeded expectations… so I thought you may want to hear this.”  He flicked his finger a couple more times until his eyes opened wide.  “Aha.  Here it is!  Let me read this to you.” 

He glanced up to see Roshida shrug her shoulders as she answered with a smile, “Sure, go ahead.  You’re the boss!”

“Yes, I suppose I am, aren’t I?”  His lips quirked up and he refocused his attention to the screen.  “Performance Summary: Thorough, yet quick and efficient.  Set-up completed in minimal time, with nearly instantaneous deployment of initial scout.  Only eight hours of facility observation before engaging in coordination for tasked operation which, once planned, lasted less than three hours, start-to-finish.  Proficiently utilized all available assets and ended operation with zero surviving targets, as ordered.  Team also met bonus criteria of total destruction of facility.  Since completion, have monitored all Port Hanshan message traffic; no aspersions cast regarding outside interference or actors involved.  It is assumed some experiment met catastrophic failure and facility was destroyed as safety precaution.  Perfect execution of task.  Possibly one of, if not _the_ , best field teams currently in our employ.  Recommendation: Skip further evaluation missions and assign to applicable high-priority tasks."

“Sounds like our Ops Officer is pleased.”  Roshida grinned at her case agent.  “I take it that’s a good thing.”

“Yes, very good.”  Solo blinked rapidly three or four times before continuing.  “I don’t believe I’ve ever read such a positive review from Aldaberto.  He is generally quite difficult to impress.”

“As was my prior boss… so I’m used to paying attention to even the smallest of details.”  Roshida shook her head.  “During the Reaper War, not doing so got you dead.  Fast.”

“Yes, I suppose it did, at that.”  For the first time since B’Sayle walked into the room, Solo relaxed.  Indicating the report on his omnitool, he stated, “This is very good.  I see a well-paying future for you, working for the Broker.  Well-paying, indeed.”  He stood from his desk as a genuine smile erupted on his face.  “Take a few days to relax.  I will have to rework your schedule and send up a query as to where you and your team should be deployed next.  I will let you know as soon as we have a job worthy of your apparently exceptional talents.”


	5. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Bosh’tet_  - curse/insult, similar to “son-of-a-bitch” or “bastard” (Quarian/Mass Effect Wiki)
> 
> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
> Edessan - Major Turian colony, located in outer regions of Turian space, among oldest and most populated worlds, holds significant strategic & sentimental value (source: CDN)
> 
> FTL - Faster Than Light travel
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
> STG - Special Tasks Group

 

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 11 Dec 2188**

“So, it is agreed.”  Flexing his mandibles in the Turian version of a smile, Quentius nodded at Jara, who grinned back wickedly at the result of three days of intense discussion and negotiation.

“Yes.”  Jara practically glowed in anticipation over the promise of the upcoming battles.  “I will have Urdnot Grunt reserve First Platoon for the battle of the Far Rim… but you can have Second and Third Platoon to set traps at the remaining food depots.”  The chuckle that rose from deep within her massive chest sounded malevolent.  “The next few raiders will have no idea what hit them… and I guarantee they won’t get away with any more supplies to take back to the rebel fleet!”

“The full six patrols of eight?”  Quentius – eyes shiny at the prospect – was practically drooling over the damage he knew the Krogan would wreak upon the unsuspecting Quarian raiders.

“Of course, you idiot.  Any we left behind would tear Tuchanka apart in their frustration…”  Jara rolled her red reptilian eyes. “We can’t have that, now… can we.”

Quentius was instantly prepared to be irritated by her brazenly labeling him an idiot, but her tone as she finished her statement made him realize she was actually joking with him.  Surprised, he simply responded with what counted as a grin, his voice flanging in humor.  “No, I suppose not.  I imagine they’d leave quite the mess in their wake.”

“You got that right.”  Jara rose from her seat as she continued, “I’ll pass this on to Urdnot Wrex and ask when Grunt will be ready to go.  You’d better have those transports ready… a fight like this is one they will eagerly embrace, so it won’t take them long to prepare for pick-up.”

As Jara walked away, Shepard looked to Quentius.  “She’s right, you know.  You’d better make the call and get those transports enroute.  It wouldn’t surprise me if Grunt has his warriors packed and ready within the hour.  They’ve rebuilt Aralakh Company based on a concept of rapid deployment; always ready, always eager for a fight… so you’d best be prepared to give them one.”

“Well… I can get them to the necessary locations, but it will depend on the rebels as to when they show up for the unexpected fight.”  Quentius sneered as he added, “What I wouldn’t give to see their faces when they’re met at the doors by an eight-squad of very eager and angry Krogan Warriors… especially if those warriors are made to wait for any length of time.”

Shepard chuckled.  “That’s for sure…  If they’re forced to sit around for too long, you may just have to find them something to kill.  Otherwise, the Quarians may find nothing more than a bunch of drunk Krogan guarding your storage facilities.”

“We have plenty of games with which to keep them busy… our simulators are extremely good; good enough to keep them on their toes with a variety of enemies.”  Quentius laughed.  “We even have a couple of scenarios that feature Thresher Maws!”

“Why in the galaxy…?”  Shepard started to ask, then realized she knew the answer to her own question and somberly continued, “Because you figured you’d likely run into one if you spent too much time on the ground on Tuchanka…  So, you needed your soldiers to know what they were and how to fight them.”

“Yes.”  Quentius’ laughter died with a quick sigh.  “It was necessary… _then_ … so I don’t regret us ever doing it… but I sincerely hope we never feel the need to do such again.  The Krogan have actually proven themselves worthy allies and I want them to remain so.”

“Good.”  Shepard’s smile returned and she reverted to the subject of the negotiations.  “As for me, I’d like some help from the Turians.”

Quentius was immediately curious.  “In what form?” he asked earnestly.

“The Guard Captain at Pinnacle Station.”  Shepard paused for a moment and added, “ _Former_ -Guard Captain, that is… Captain Vidinos.  We’ve been friends for some time, and I’d like to have him and his Blackwatch team join me on the _Knight Shade_ , along with Aralakh First Platoon A-Squad, as my second and third boarding teams for taking control of the _Moreh_ … and to help me eliminate Daro’Xen.”

“Spirits, Shepard!”  Quentius flared both his crest and fringe in unexpected enthusiasm.  “I can think of no reason Vidinos would not be honored to join you.  My only regret is that I’m not a soldier and can’t join you on _that_ venture, myself!  What I wouldn’t give to see the expression on that smug Quarian’s face when she finally realizes her death is imminent!”

Shepard understood the councilor’s sentiment, so simply responded, “Don’t worry.  You may not be there in person, but you’ll get to see all of the recorded combat footage once it’s all said and done.”

“And I’ll make sure that footage goes into the Council Archives, Shepard.  Perhaps, this time, the Quarians will actually learn that they need to stop messing around when it comes to Council law!  We do not take disobedience lightly; we never have, and we never will.”

\-------------------------------

**CGC Communications Center, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 12 Dec 2188**

Once all the arrangements and agreements had been finalized, Shepard got a good night’s sleep, then rose early the next morning in order to place a secure call to the Far Rim.  Having utilized the Council’s QEC- _Normandy_ node, Shepard offered up a reserved smile to her fellow Spectre’s three-dimensional projection.  “Hey, Ash…  Surprisingly enough, the Council has agreed to our plan.”  Shepard knew her announcement would be welcome in its own peculiar sort of way… assuming ‘welcome’ was the right word for starting an unwanted conflict that had become absolutely necessary in the name of galactic peace; like it or not, they had run out of options.

“Well, shit,” Ashley sighed.  “I guess it was too much to hope they’d come up with an alternative solution for us, huh?”

“Would have been nice, but I’m not surprised.  You and I already ran through all the reasonable scenarios, each of which I explained to them in great detail.”  Shepard’s lips were a reserved straight line as she continued, “But, as it is, they didn’t change a thing.  So, I need you to get me the specs for your Marines so I can place the order for the upgraded N7 armor for them, including the low-profile jetpack propulsion system and grav-boots.”

“Already on it; I’ll send them as soon as we’re done talking.”  Williams barely paused before asking, “Did we get the go-ahead for all eight teams for the op?”

“Yup.  Sure did.”  Shepard nodded her head as she answered.  “You’ll have the Aralakh squads you requested… and Kas, Tali and Spectre Bau will be joining you as part of your infiltration unit.  Jon said he’ll grab three of his best STG friends to round out his team.”

“And you’re getting the Blackwatch team you wanted?”  Ash figured she knew the answer but asked anyway.

“Yes, along with Grunt.”  Shepard grinned like a child let loose without adult supervision in a candy store.

Laughing, Ashley replied, “I didn’t doubt that for a second.  That’s why I didn’t bother asking about him.  I assume your new friend Moises T’Dura also agreed to join you for this?”

“Yes.  She’ll go with Livos and her team, minus Allia Vasia.  I see no reason to assign a sniper to this one… not like we’ll have any long-range shots we’ll need to make.”

“And, if absolutely necessary, both you and I are more than capable of picking that up…”

“Not this time, Ash; at least not me.  I’m not dragging that damned sniper rifle along on this one.  Too much weight.”  Shepard shook her head.  “Going light and fast into this fight.”

Ashley thought about it briefly before nodding in agreement.  “You’re right.  We’ll mostly be in close quarters combat, so it doesn’t make much sense to carry the damned thing.  And, seeing as everything is a go, we’ve got just over three weeks to prep for this… so, we need to head back to Earth with the _Normandy_ to get my squad properly outfitted with all their new gear; can’t risk something not fitting right if we’re going to be rocketing through the void for a space-infiltration.” 

The _Normandy’s_ captain looked at her notes before continuing, “Also, Greg Adams received the specs for Tali’s new ‘destructive interference emitter’ and has already started moving things around in preparation for installation of the new transmissions equipment.”

“Excellent.  We can only hope it works,” Shepard replied with a sigh.  Glancing to her side for a brief moment before turning back, she continued, “Alright.  We’ve gotta run, so I’ll finish with this…  I know you plan to stay on Earth for Christmas and New Year’s, but I want to reiterate that you and the crew of the _Normandy_ are still invited to the Estate, if you care to spend any part of the holiday with us.”

“Thanks, Skipper, but no.”  Ashley smiled.  “Been a while since we’ve all been back home… and knowing what we’re headed into?  People want to spend the entire holiday with their families.  I don’t think I need to explain the reasoning.”

“No, you don’t.”  Shepard slowly drew a deep breath before blowing it out quickly.  “Well then, give my best to Sarah.  I assume she’s still coming in from Amaterasu to join you and Andreas in London?”

Her smile blossoming into a wide grin, Ashley replied, “Yes, she is.  It’ll be good to see her.”

“I imagine so.”  Shepard gave a quick wave before dropping her hand toward the haptic interface.  “Enjoy the time you have, Ash… and say hello to Falk for me, when you see him.”

“Will do, Skipper.  See you soon.”

Liara had entered the room and was standing quietly off to the side, waiting patiently until her bondmate finished her conversation with Ashley.  As the QEC call terminated, Shepard turned to her and smiled.  “All right, Blue.  Let’s go home.”

\-------------------------------

 **T’Soni Country Estate, Armali Republic, Thessia** **– 16 Dec 2188**

“Where, in the Goddess’ name, did you learn that little trick, T’Soni?” Shepard wheezed, lying flat on her back, staring up into the smug eyes of her _I_ _onúin Álainn_.  She was finding it hard to catch her breath, barely able to squeeze enough air past her vocal cords to form words.

Liara lifted herself up and off her bondmate to ease the pressure on Samantha’s chest, answering coquettishly, “Wouldn’t you like to know!”

Shepard pushed up into a sitting position; finally able to draw a deep breath without it making her cough, she answered, “Truthfully?  Yes, I do, Liara, but this isn’t a ‘like’ to know… I feel an urgent _need_ to know.”  The woman bent her knees up and dropped her head between them, still not having fully recovered.

Liara sat down before her, cross-legged on the practice mat; taking her _siame’s_ hands, she leaned forward to place her head against Shepard’s.  While possible to pass energy through the link, as they had each done numerous times, they still found it much more efficient to do so through physical contact.  As Shepard drew from her energy, Liara explained, “I learned the basics from Kaddi, and augmented it with biotics.”  As realization lit in Shepard’s brain, Liara corrected, “No, it’s not her technique.  I know you’d expect such a thing from a Drell assassin, but she actually picked it up from Len’Dazza.”

Surprise colored Shepard’s words as she blurted, “It’s a Quarian Marine thing?”

Pulling her head back, Liara answered, “Yes, it is.  He took Kaddi down while sparring, and she had him show her…  The mechanics of the move were a little odd because of their differing leg structure, so Kaddi worked it out for us forward-bending knee types.”  She showed her teeth in a wide grin as she finished her brief explanation.  “Very effective, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes… and frightening at the same time.”  Shepard released her grasp on the warm blue hands in hers and stood slowly from the mat, contemplating the implications.  Sensing a little bit of confusion through the link, she felt compelled to explain.  “Liara…  We’re about to go after a whole fleet of war ships which, once we arrive, we plan to board and fight our way to both Weapons Control and the Bridge…”

Catching the line of thought, Liara finished for her.  “So, we need to learn the counter to that particular move, as well as any other trade secrets Quarian Marines may have tucked away that could threaten our success.  Goddess!  Why didn’t I think of that?”

Shepard stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the Asari’s waist, pulling her close and planting a quick kiss on blue lips.  “Because you’re an intellectual at heart, not a soldier… and, as I have told you before, I absolutely love that about you; I hope you never change, because if you did, you would no longer need me to do the tactical thinking, and I’d be out of a job.” 

Liara began to rebut the statement but then noted the lopsided grin spreading on the Spectre’s face.  “Oh, you!  You still catch me when you joke at the most unexpected times!”

Laughing, Shepard retook one of Liara’s hands and started to walk toward the exit.  “Come on.  We need to find Len and Kaddi, to set up some training.  We need to practice in our new assault groupings anyway, since we’re shifting a few folks around for this, so it will be a great time to integrate whatever new techniques Len thinks important and Kaddi cares to share.”

\-------------------------------

 **_Neema_ ** **, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 18 Dec 2188**

“Stick to the plan, Daro!” Han’Gerrel growled.  “We need those greenhouses online as soon as possible if we are to be truly self-sustaining… and I have a feeling our luck it about to run out.”

“Why would you say that?”  Daro’Xen scowled at the ill-tempered Gerrel.  “You’re always so negative about our chances.  If you felt the risk was so great, why are we even here?”

“Because I’m a realist!  Eventually, someone is going to get angry enough to finally come after us… be it the Turians… or the whole damned Council; I don’t know who… but _someone_ will.”  He huffed, so angry he wanted to throw something, anything, at the frustrating idealist.  He glowered at Xen as he continued, “I have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, so I don’t have time for your shit.  Send your team down there to get the last greenhouse up and running or I’ll place you and the _Moreh_ last on the list for rations distributions until it is!”

Xen placed her hands on her hips as she answered indignantly, “You wouldn’t _dare_!” 

“Try me.”  Gerrel’s voice was menacingly quiet.  “Last time Jeto returned with supplies, he told me he had a foreboding feeling that they were being observed… even though sensors revealed nothing.”  He shook his head in frustration.  “I’m concerned that ancestors-be-damned Spectre… Shepard… is on the trail, which means our time is growing short.  I need to curtail the raids until everyone cools down a little.  Maybe it will throw them off our trail.”

“Even if I send the team down immediately, it will still be two months at least before that last greenhouse begins producing!  If you don’t continue the raids, you’ll have to cut rations again!”

Gerrel sneered as he responded, “Exactly my point, Daro.  That was supposed to be your motivation to get the job completed last week… like we initially determined.  You are the one who’s behind schedule; you waste too much time playing with your damned toys instead of working on feeding our people!”

“They aren’t toys… and you’ll be damned glad to have them if… or rather, _when_ … our adversaries decide to take us down!”

“I’ve got other things to do than make sure you hold up your side of the bargain,” Gerrel stated, dismissively.  “Just get out and get it done, Daro, and don’t come before me again until it’s up and running.”

She started to retort, but Gerrel had darkened his visor and turned away, working on his terminal and totally ignoring her.  Fuming, she spun around and stalked out through the hatchway, sending people scampering to get out of her way as she stormed back to her awaiting shuttle.

_Self-righteous, pompous bastard!  Who does he think he is to speak to me in such a disrespectful manner!  It’s my so-called toys that are going to win this fucking war for us!_

\-------------------------------

**Ekuna, Salahiel, The Phoenix Massing – 18 Dec 2188**

Uli'Nara vas Iktomi stared at the messenger in abject horror, his voice squeaking in panic as he asked, “Here?  Now?”

“Soon.  Her personal shuttle just dropped out of FTL…  We have roughly twelve to fifteen minutes, tops.”

Pulling himself together, he commanded, “Put out a broadcast and get the team together, then grab the datapad with the list of missing materials and meet me at the landing pad.”  As the messenger stood there, possibly awaiting additional instructions, Uli shouted in alarm, “Go!  Now!”

As the messenger turned and ran off to get his assigned tasks completed, Uli turned on his heel and began the trek to the shuttle pad.  Speaking to no one, he muttered, “ _Keelah_!  What in the name of the ancestors is Xen coming here for?  _Personally_?” 

He was fidgeting noticeably as Xen disembarked.  She pinned him in place with her eyes, then stalked resolutely to him and asked a very direct, single-word question.  “Status?”

Immediately handing her the datapad, his voice was surprisingly steady as he spoke.  “This contains the list of materials and equipment we still require for final completion of the greenhouses, Admiral.  Without that first item – the power converter assembly – we are at a dead stop; the temperatures and sunlight at the fringe simply don’t support agriculture on their own…  We can seed fast-growing crops with auxiliary heaters, but we need the solar augmentation units to be up and running for any substantial yields.”

“And what’s this second item?”  Xen glared at the project lead in disdain.  “I would think the eezo-core power unit would be more important than the converter…”

“I would agree with that statement if we were lacking for shuttlecraft, but we are not…”  Uli was starting to feel more confident as he continued, “We can easily rotate shuttles through, utilizing their thruster engines as power supplies, until an eezo unit is located.  Ishassara is an extremely easy-access hydrogen refuel location, one which we utilize with regularity.  There are so many ships that pass through there, refueling on their way to the relay, it is easy to mingle in… unnoticed among the masses.”

Xen’s mood had not improved in the slightest with his seemingly flippant responses, so she closed the already minimal gap between them as she asked yet another question. “If this power converter is so damned important, why am I just hearing about it now?” 

Uli’Nara couldn’t stop his involuntary response and he took a step back, immediately regretting the move as a smirk of satisfaction flashed across Xen’s face.  He cleared his throat and suddenly realized he didn’t care if he died in the next moment as he answered angrily, “Not my fault you haven’t seen it; it’s been on the list for over six months – since the project started in earnest – but the Marines think utilizing cargo space for equipment is a waste.  Our people are hungry, so they fill their holds with foodstuffs, not gear; food gets them many more thanks than a chunk of metal ever will.”

Surprised at his tone, Xen backed off, speaking more to herself than to Uli’Nara.  “Damn it all, Gerrel!  How many opportunities to pick this up have passed by, on worlds to which we have no intention of returning?”  Surprising the lead engineer, Daro’Xen smiled but, by her tone, he realized she was not pleased… but vindictive… as she turned her attention once more to the lead technician.  “I will bring this up with Admiral Han’Gerrel… _personally_ … immediately upon my return to the Fleet.  You’ll have your power converter within the week, Uli… even if I must take the _Moreh_ to Omega and buy one myself!”

As Daro’Xen turned away and stormed back aboard her private shuttle, Uli felt positively giddy with relief.  _I’ll be damned!  What I wouldn’t pay to hear that conversation, when she confronts Admiral Han’Gerrel and blames his Marines for not doing their damned job!_ For the first time since the greenhouse project had begun, Uli smiled and whistled happily as he turned and walked back to the worksite.  _That Bosh’tet is gonna blow a suit seal!_

\-------------------------------

 **_Neema_ ** **, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 19 Dec 2188**

When they rejoined the rogue fleet, Daro’Xen took a shuttle directly to the _Neema_ and stormed Gerrel’s office, door guards be damned, as she growled menacingly, “Get out of my way!”  As soon as the hatch slid to the side, she stepped through and immediately started growling, “Stick to the plan, Gerrel?”  As the ship’s captain raised his head in surprise at the unexpected intrusion, she continued, in a much louder voice than was her norm.  “How _dare_ you say that to me, when the reason my greenhouses aren’t ready is because _your Marines_ are the ones who haven’t delivered the necessary parts!”

Gerrel stood from his desk and scowled, waving out the two guards who had trailed the irate admiral into his office.  “What are you talking about, Daro?”

“Don’t you ‘Daro’ me, Bosh’tet!  I’m speaking of the power source I need to run the heaters for the damned things!”  Xen was in a rage – beyond frustrated with Gerrel’s routine posturing – so she continued to yell.  “You dared to threaten me and the crew of the _Moreh_ with going to the bottom of the list for rations distributions!  Once I looked into it, I discovered it’s been your damned Marines who haven’t been doing their jobs!  They have yet to bring us the power converter assembly for the hydrogen unit!”  She sneered and added, “Even _you_ must know we can’t grow much without a way to keep the temperature at a fairly steady twenty-five degrees!”

“And just how are my Marines at fault for your inability to procure parts?”  Han crossed his arms in disgust; it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d witnessed Xen going off on some wild rant.

“Because it’s been on the critical supply list for over six months… along with a number of other requests… and your glory-seekers are so focused on finding the foodstuffs that get them the most praise, they haven’t bothered to check their raid locations for anything else!  That’s how!”  Xen paused to take a deep breath before continuing, “Who knows how many opportunities they’ve already missed… and not just for my materials requests, but the entire Fleet!  So, either you promise me they’ll pick one up at their next agricultural station, or I’m taking the _Moreh_ to Omega to buy one myself!”

“You can’t do that!”  Han worried that she might actually try to do something that stupid in her desperation.  “T’Loak would impound your ship and sell you out to Shepard as fast as she could possibly make the call!  There’s no way that Asari could ever pay back Shepard for her help in reclaiming Omega station from Cerberus for her, but I imagine turning _you_ over would go a hell of a long way towards balancing the scales!”

“We wouldn’t _need_ to do this at all if you had been paying attention to the critical supplies list!  Don’t even think about trying to lay this one at my feet, Han!”  Daro sneered.  “This isn’t a choice.  Either you find one, or I will…  You have a week, Han.  Do not forget that I am also an admiral, same as you… so, do your damned job or I’ll do it myself.”

“Damn it, Xen!  This comes at the worst possible time!”  Gerrel began to pace, feeling jammed into a corner as his options seemed to vanish.  “I told you about Jeto’s last mission.  We need to slow down on the raids right now…  not send _more_ ships out for some scavenger hunt!”

“You need to order your people to get us that converter or we’re all going to starve, you fucking Pyjak!” Xen growled.  “I’m done with your dodging-the-blame game… and I’m done being last on your list of priorities.  We either get that part within the week or I swear, I’ll find my own way to procure what we need… and I very much doubt you’ll approve of how I do it.  Understood?”

“Fine!”  Gerrel threw himself back into his desk chair in disgust.  “I’ll send someone to get your damned power converter assembly.  Any ideas where one might be, or are you going to leave me stabbing in the dark?”

With a satisfied smirk, Xen answered, “It will have to be a larger agricultural station… like Edessan or, perhaps, Rocam?”

Simply wanting the conversation to end and Xen to leave his office, Han asked with a sigh, “Which would you suggest?”

“Rocam would be the easier target, but they’re a bit smaller, so there’s no guarantee they’d have a spare sitting on a shelf.  Your Marines would have to take the necessary time to strip down the unit… leaving a rather large window for a defensive response team to show up.”  Xen paused as she thought, then continued, “Edessan is much larger, so would likely have an on-hand spare sitting in storage, but… the Edessanians are fiercely patriotic, even for Turians… and hold an appreciation for heavy weaponry and a strong admiration for the Turian air force.  You’re the military strategist; you figure it out.”

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked out the same way she had come, though her exit was much quieter – and calmer – than her entrance had been.  Gerrel sat back in his chair and exhaled with relief as the Marine door guard, Ken’Fennas, slid sheepishly into the office.  “Sorry, Sir.  There was no stopping her…  She looked like she might actually kill me, had I stepped in to block her way.”

Gerrel actually chuckled, helping his foul mood resulting from the visit.  “She might have tried, at the very least… but I’m fairly confident you would have bested her, Ken.”  Suddenly serious, he added, “Should there ever be a need to do so, do not hesitate.”  He growled, “She frequently oversteps, thinking her _superior intelligence_ is reason enough to treat us like subordinates… but, someday, that just might get her killed.”  He met Ken’s eyes as he earnestly added, “If you end up doing it, always know I’ll have your back.”

“Never a doubt in my mind, Sir.”

“Good.”  While they chatted, Gerrel had pulled up the critical supply list Xen had referenced.  “Have any of the stealth scout vessels returned the fleet yet, in response to the recall?”

“Yes, Sir.  The _Huli_ is currently docked at the _Idenna…_ and with the moratorium, I imagine more will be showing up soon.”

“Excellent.  I’ll be calling Captain Ysin'Mal to have him dispatch the _Huli_ to us as soon as possible.  Make sure there’s an open docking port for them, then escort the ship’s Captain directly to my office, immediately upon their arrival.  You must have overheard Xen, so you know I have a mission for them.”

“Yes, Sir.  I’ll get right on that, Sir.”  Ken snapped to attention.  “Anything else, Admiral?”

“Not right now.”  Gerrel smiled at him and gestured for him to relax.  “And, Ken?  Thank you.”

“No problem, Sir.  My pleasure… and I wouldn’t care to serve under anyone else in the fleet.”

\-------------------------------

**T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 21 Dec 2188**

It was a cold, blustery morning when the _VIP-1_ landed and disgorged the recently arrived T’Soni guests onto the tarmac.  Shepard’s face held a happy grin as her mother moved quickly toward her, wrapping her up in a motherly hug.  “Sam!  It’s great to see you!  You look good.”

Hannah pushed back and looked her daughter in the face.  “Though I can see in your eyes you’re worried about this upcoming thing with the Quarians.”

“Later, Mom.”  Shepard’s grin faltered for only a second before being firmly reaffixed.  “I have no intention of letting that spoil our _Alban Arthan_ or Christmas celebrations.”

“Good.”  Sharon Culver reached in and clasped forearms with Samantha, adding, “Because if you did, I’d have to take you out back and give you a good, old-fashioned, Special Ops butt whupping.”

Using the arm hold, Shepard pulled her in and gave her a tight hug.  “As well you should, Sharon.  Nice to see you… glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it!”  Sharon chuckled, “Besides… my presence almost became a necessary part of prying our surprise for you out of her workplace…”

As Sharon spoke, Kahlee Sanders stepped into view and descended the ramp, exiting the transport with a happy bounce to her step.  She couldn’t help but smile with glee as Shepard blurted out, “By the Gods!  Aunt Kay!  I never expected to see _you_ this holiday!”

Kay approached quickly and grasped Samantha by the shoulders.  “I have to agree with your mother’s assessment, Sam.  You look wonderful!”

A tearful Samantha pulled the woman in and hugged her tightly, whispering, “Thank you for coming…  Best Christmas present ever!”

“Well, Sharon didn’t lie; you have a very convincing Special Operations Commander to thank for that.  They gave me no advance warning before they showed up and demanded I come with them, and I have students who are staying behind for the holidays…”

Sharon cut her off.  “A situation which Jack has completely under control… and she was staying at the school through the holiday anyway, so there was absolutely no need for you to be there!”

Kahlee had a smile on her face as she shook her head.  “Yes, yes; I know.  Why else to you think I finally gave in and decided to accompany you here?”

“Because the students remaining for the holidays agreed with us and practically pushed you the entire way to your quarters to pack!”  Hannah smiled widely as the banter continued, her heart full.  It had been a long time since she had seen Samantha this happy… even with the Quarian conflict looming in the not-too-distant future.  “It’s been far too long since we’ve all been together!”

While they were saying their hellos to Samantha, Liara had also welcomed each individually.  Closing on Sharon, she held her hands up in the traditional Asari greeting.  “It is good to see you, _Mea're_.” 

Culver placed her hands on top of Liara’s for only a moment, before grasping them to pull Liara in for a hug.  She whispered softly, “Thank you, Liara, for making Sam so happy.  It does my heart good to see her like this.”

“It does _my_ heart good as well, Sharon.  I thank the Goddess every day that Sam is still in my life after all we’ve been through.”  Liara smiled softly as she pulled back.  “Livos is on her way to show you to your room in the Commando Quarters.  Other than that, you know your way around, so we’ll see you in the den once you’re settled in?”

“Absolutely!”  Sharon answered with a smile and released her lingering hold on Liara.  “A quick shower, a change of clothes into something more comfortable, and I’ll see you all there.”

\-------------------------------

“So, when does Karin arrive?”  Hannah relaxed on the couch, sinking comfortably into the soft cushions as her eyes focused on the flickering flames of the fire blazing before her.

Liara smiled, “Early evening.  The _Normandy_ has stopped at the CGC for a hopefully quick debrief with the Council, which Karin has no need to be part of anyway, so she’ll jump ship and arrive at Port Armali on the six-o’clock shuttle.  Zan has coordinated her arrival so Livos can pick them both up at the same time.  We should all be together in time for a late supper, if that’s alright with everyone?  Goddess knows, we have plenty of snacks available to tide us through, if anyone gets hungry between lunch and whenever they manage to show up.”

“No one could ever fault House T’Soni for their hospitality, that’s for certain!”  Kay giggled as she continued, “I still remember the day before the wedding… bonding, that is.  I’ve never seen such a variety of food and drink all in one place!”

“That’s because we’ve never had to lay out a spread to feed… what, five or six different races?”  Sharon looked to Liara for confirmation but Lyessa, the House Steward answered for her.

“That would be six, Sharon.”  Lyessa shrugged casually.  “It’s a good thing Shepard likes to cook and provided a few recipes… as well as help from Samantha Traynor and Minda Tilghman… or poor Leyana would have driven herself to distraction trying to cook all that was necessary to feed our guests.”

“Pshh.  It wasn’t that bad.”  Unknowingly, Leyana was standing in the door as Lyessa made her comment.  “Besides which, I needed to learn all those recipes anyway, seeing as we frequently now have that full mix here on any given day, anyway… with Bek, Kaddi and Barla Von in the mix; though visits from Barla Von are infrequent.”

Shepard chuckled.  “Hell… Jat’s crew alone has five of the six.  All he’s missing is a Volus.”

“That’s true, Jatok does have quite the mix.” Leyana acknowledged.  “Anyway, the main reason I walked over here was to inform you the lunch buffet…”  At this point, a grin spread across her face.  “… in all its many forms, is ready in the dining area.”

\-------------------------------

**Farnborough Field, Earth, Sol – 22 Dec 2188**

Logistics Director Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Falk waited in the small building near the heavy ship landing zone – _heavy_ being a bit of a misleading term, as the largest ship allowed to land here or at the nearby Systems Alliance controlled zone was a medium frigate.  Falk stared out at the approach end of the large field, straining to see any indication that the vessel bearing the love of his life was on approach for a landing.  It didn’t help that the current weather conditions were typical for the first day of winter in the London area … accompanied by light-to-medium fog, a cold, misty drizzle fell from mottled grey, low hanging clouds, rendering visibility down to less than 65 meters.

Falk thought he saw high-intensity landing lights for just an instant.  Closing his eyes for a moment, he reopened them to take another look… and there they were… landing lights… barely visible through the swirling mist and rain.  As he keenly watched the area, the shape of an approaching ship resolved around the intense glare; narrow fuselage, flanked closely on each side by an even narrower pair of engine pods.  Andreas couldn’t prevent the wide grin that slowly formed as he recognized the approaching vessel’s front profile.  Joker was being very careful as he approached the area outlined with intense blue-tinted beacons.  Falk would have bet the snarky pilot was letting Edi handle the actual approach and touchdown; the synthetic woman had a much finer touch on the _Normandy_ _’s_ controls.

Exhaust deflectors were actuated to slow the ship’s forward speed, until it was actually hovering over the pavement.  Power applied to the main engines was decreased, allowing the vessel to slowly settle onto its landing gear… as the mass effect core was powered down, the weight compressed the struts of the main and nose gear.  Engines were allowed to spool down to idle, then cut, diminishing the ambient sound to the nearly silent hiss of rain striking hot metal.

Falk quickly shrugged into his heavy overcoat and left the building to briskly walk towards the familiar ship.  As there was cargo needing to be unloaded, the only way in or out of the vessel was through the deployed hanger bay ramp; Falk motioned for the nearby Marine squad to take their assigned guard positions on either side.  After unloading, the ship would be relocated to the Alliance field by a Navy ground crew for routine maintenance and equipment installations.

With the exception of Joker and Edi, the entire ship’s complement would be leaving for a well-deserved holiday break of nearly two weeks; the ship wouldn’t be departing until the second of January.  As much as he wanted to go onboard to greet the captain, he decided to observe proper military decorum and wait…  There would be plenty of together time after she was off-duty.

Ashley had contacted him as soon as the _Normandy_ had docked for a short layover at the CGC, telling him that her younger sister Sarah was flying into Farnborough from Amaterasu so they could visit.  With just a bit of prodding, Andreas discovered Sarah was a war widow, and the siblings hadn’t seen each other since the memorial wall visit on the Citadel; further, Ashley hadn’t even seen her mom or other sisters since her emergency trip to Amaterasu in 2181.

After speaking to a very excited Sarah, it took Andreas less than an hour to arrange passage for Ashley’s mom Brook and younger sisters Lynn and Abby, on the same passenger/freight vessel Sarah was already booked on.  Falk chuckled to himself as he thought about it – knowing how much Ashley loved her family, it had been so simple for him to arrange the perfect Christmas gift for the woman he loved.

When Falk met them at the nearby civilian arrival area only a few hours ago, he had sworn them all to secrecy.  Ashley would expect Sarah to be staying in the spare bedroom of Falk’s base apartment; knowing they were coming, he had plenty of time to arrange a place for the entire family in the nearby transient housing complex before _Normandy_ arrived.  As all three women wanted to do a bit of Christmas shopping in a still-recovering London, he loaned them an X3M so they could get around, and provided them with vouchers for the stores at either base; it would be the first Williams family get-together since her trip home in 2181 to help Sarah deal with an overly aggressive boyfriend.

Andreas’ presence during cargo unloading wasn’t actually required, but he hung around anyway, answering the occasional question concerning placement of this or that bit of cargo.  When the last pallet left the ship, Falk climbed the ramp and entered the hanger bay, there to ask Steve Cortez to notify Spectre Williams he was waiting for her.  While he waited, it was all he could do to keep from grinning like an idiot as he thought of what he had done.


	6. Respite from Rebellion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Alban Arthan_ \- Druid festival of the Winter Solstice (Gaelic)
> 
> _Amantia_ \- lover (Thessian)
> 
> AOR - Area of Responsibility
> 
> _B'duero_ \- a native Thessian tree similar in appearance to the silver birch
> 
> _Breá Ber’ah_ \- Combined form meaning beautiful and strange lover; Breá being a close lover, somewhere between _Amantia_ and _Siame_ (Thessian)
> 
> Edessan - Major Turian colony, located in outer regions of Turian space, among oldest and most populated worlds, holds significant strategic & sentimental value (source: CDN)
> 
> _Kaffe -_ equatorial Thessian vine, the seeds of which are used to produce a non-alcoholic beverage of the same name, the taste described as a mix of coffee and chocolate (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
> _Korbal_  - roughly, "victory or death" (Krogan)
> 
> _Siame_ \- "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
> _Uloth -_ Asari equivalent to cheese (Source: CDN)

 

**Farnborough Field, Earth, Sol – 22 Dec 2188**

Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Falk, legs crossed at the ankles, leaned against the starboard side armor locker and console facing the _Normandy_ _’s_ elevator on deck five.  As the doors parted to reveal several more crew intent on leaving for a holiday vacation, one person in particular – a raven-haired, brown-eyed beauty in a casual dress uniform – showed her teeth in a huge grin as she strode up to stand in front of him; dropping her overnight bag to the deck, she stuck out her hands in welcome.  Falk pushed away from the console to close the gap between them and overlapped their arms, clasping both her forearms just below her elbow. 

In a soft voice that still conveyed the intensity of her feelings for the man, she said, “Dammit, Dré!…  It’s so good to see you!  It’s really been too long!”

“That it has.”  Andreas nodded as he gently squeezed her arms.  “Hard to believe you’re standing right in front of me again… and, if memory serves, last time we were together was on this very ship…  Wasn’t it St Paddy’s day?  Has that much time slipped past us?”

Ashley nodded her head slightly; Falk finally released his grip as she continued, “Certainly much longer than I would like.”  Now free, she picked up her overnight bag and slung it over her shoulder.  Reaching out and taking Falk’s hand, she continued, “Come on – let’s head over to your place.  Have you seen Sarah yet?”

“Here, allow me.”  Andreas chuckled as he relieved her of the other large bag still slung over her left shoulder.  “And yes, I have seen Sarah.  Looks like a younger version of you.”  He was afraid to say more, lest he inadvertently give something away.  “My quarters are quite close, actually.  My bosses felt my job here necessitated accommodations closer to the field.  The housing is supposed to be soundproofed, but I swear I can still hear every arrival and departure.”

Ashley walked beside Andreas as the pair moved through the hanger bay and down the ramp.  “Will you have any time to yourself during the holidays?”

“I will… and it begins today.  So, I’m planning to take you… and Sarah, if she wants to accompany us… to someplace nice for dinner.”  He paused as he opened the aircar’s canopy and placed her bags in the back.  Once inside, with the tinted canopy down and sealed, he reached over to envelope her in an awkward hug.  After placing a quick kiss – more of a promise than anything – on a pair of lush lips, he continued with his original thought.  “You know, I never really got a chance to see you in that blue dress I bought you during our visit to Discovery.  Seems to me it would be perfect for dinner tonight.”  The instant peel of joyous laughter he received as he brought the speeder’s core online and began the short trip to his apartment made him feel all tingly inside, as if his heart might burst from happiness.

A warm hand landed on top of his thigh at the hip, there to lightly squeeze the muscles beneath her fingers as she replied, “Then it’s your lucky day, Lieutenant Colonel Sir!  It just so happens I brought that dress with me, along with the lovely blue pumps you insisted on buying.”  Knowing the effect her closeness was having on him, she used her hand to massage the top of the thigh she didn’t wish to let go of as she continued in a husky voice, “Since that time on Horizon, I even managed to acquire a long, all-weather overcoat that should help me survive this wonderfully welcoming weather.”

_It’s a good thing we are so close to my flat, or I’d park this damned speeder and ravage you,_ came the thought as he glanced at her face.  “One of the benefits of living on an island,” he responded.  “Lots of liquid weather in the winter.”  _How can so much beauty have been bestowed on one person?_ Falk slowed the speeder, made a turn into a small parking area, then set the craft down in front of a rather non-descript building.  “Here we are… be it ever so humble…”

Andreas activated the canopy lift motor and opened the side door, climbed out and quickly grabbed Ashley’s travel packs from the back; Ash had exited and moved quickly to stand out of the drizzle under the protective cover of the inset doorway.  Upon remotely closing the speeder’s doors and canopy, Andreas crowded in beside her to wave his omnitool through the haptic door lock, which obligingly cross-faded from red to green, allowing the door to slide into its recess.

Ash rushed inside, no doubt expecting to greet Sarah; Andreas disappointed her by saying, “Sorry, Ash… she’s not here… she said she wanted to do a bit of shopping before you arrived, so I loaned her a speeder.  I have no doubt she’ll return before long.”

Falk felt bad that Ashley looked so disappointed; saying, “Why don’t you unpack and put your things away in the bedroom, Ms Williams… I’ll send Sarah a note… let her know we’re here.”

A tentative smile lighting her eyes, she replied, “Sounds like a good idea, Dré.  There isn’t much to unpack, but it will be nice to have it done so we can simply enjoy each other’s company.” 

Grabbing one of her two travel packs, Andreas led her into the master suite, saying, “It’s a bit sparse, but a perfect fit for a bachelor… not that I wish to remain so forever,” he finished with a slight laugh.  Leaving Ashley to get unpacked, he activated his omnitool and sent a message to Sarah; the nearly instant response made him smile… he was about to spring the ultimate surprise on the woman he loved with all his heart, and she didn’t have a clue it was coming.

\-------------------------------

The instant Ashley had tucked the last pair of socks into a drawer, she closed it with a deliberate thump; turning to find Falk standing in the doorway watching her, she took four long steps across the small room and wrapped him in her arms; pressing her body tightly against him, she hungrily applied her lips to his in a passionate, tongue-thrusting kiss she had obviously been saving just for him.  After thoroughly devouring his mouth, she broke away just far enough to whisper between shuddering breaths of air, “I love you, Dré.  Thinking about joining you here for the holidays is probably the only thing that kept me sane during our time apart.”  A quick smooch, then, “You must understand you have absolutely ruined me… I will never again be content to sleep alone… ever.”  She reapplied her lips, as if to underscore her declaration.

Earlier, inside the speeder, Andreas had merely wanted to ravish her; now, it was all he could do to keep from roughly ripping her clothes off, followed by his own, before depositing her exquisite form in his bed… there to spend the afternoon and evening sharing… and satisfying… their physical needs for each other.  In a voice thick with emotion, he sighed, “Ashley, I never dared to dream I would find someone like you… ever.”

He tightened his arms about her for a moment before sliding his hands down her sides to rest on her gorgeous bum.  “I really loathe having to be the sensible one here, but we need to go back out.  Sarah messaged to say her speeder experienced a slight mechanical problem.”  At the raised eyebrow accompanying the instantly worried expression on Ashley’s face, he quickly added, “She’s safe and secure on the Alliance base… but would really appreciate a ride, as walking in this… foggy, cold-assed rain, to use her words… isn’t something that appeals to her.”

Ashley sighed and placed her forehead against Falk’s chest as a small breathless whisper escaped her lips.  “There always seems to be something, doesn’t there?”  Looking back up, she allowed a tiny smile to tease the corners of her mouth upwards.  “Come on then.  Let’s go rescue my sister so we can enjoy the afternoon before we go out for dinner.  We’ll circle back around to where we are right now… you can count on it.”

\-------------------------------

**Alliance Headquarters, London, Earth – 22 Dec 2188**

In only a matter of minutes, Andreas turned the speeder into the guarded entrance to Systems Alliance Base London and glided to a halt beside the small guard shelter.  With the canopy raised part way, he greeted the young man that stepped out of the building.  “Corporal O’Downey… how are you this afternoon?”

“Commander Falk.  What can the Alliance do for our British comrades today?”  Ryan O’Downey had known Andreas for a number of months, as his position of Logistics Director for Farnborough Field required him to frequently visit the Alliance Base.

Andreas smiled in reply.  “Ryan, I need to stop in at the transitory housing facility.”  Indicating Ashley with an offhand wave, he explained, “Seems my friend’s sister had speeder trouble while short-cutting through the area.  We’re going to give her a lift back to our own AOR.”  Unseen by Ashley, Falk winked at the corporal, whom he had told of his surprise just the day before.

O’Downey grinned as he made a couple of entries on a hand-held tablet.  Waving his hand, he said, “You’re good to go, Commander.  I’ll probably be off duty when you leave, so I’ll wish you good night now.”

Falk lowered the canopy as the corporal reentered the shelter, hoping that Ashley hadn’t picked up on O’Downey’s comment about being off duty, as it implied the pair wouldn’t be departing the base for several hours.  Andreas slowly worked his way through the narrow access roads after turning off the main avenue; in a short amount of time, he brought the X3M to a stop in front of long, low building.  Parking his speeder beside another one already sitting there, he said, “There’s Sarah’s speeder, Ash.  She told me the nice people staying in this apartment were going to take her inside so she wouldn’t catch her death of cold while she waited for us to arrive.”

Without comment, Ashley opened her side door as the canopy unlatched and tilted up; Falk climbed out and walked around to assist her up and out of the low-slung vehicle.  As they mounted the three stairs up to the wide porch, the door slid aside to reveal the exuberant smile of Sarah Williams.  “Hey, Sis!  I wasn’t expecting you to come with Dré!”  She enthusiastically threw herself into a suddenly tearful Ashley’s embrace.

Stepping back from Sarah to hold her at arm’s length, Ashley raised an eyebrow and cocked her head as she asked, “Dré?”  With a withering glance directed at Andreas, she said, “Really?

Sarah was far from intimidated by her big sister’s seeming rebuke.  “Come on in, Sis… I want you to meet the people staying here… they’ve been really nice to me today.”  Turning herself partially from Ashley’s grasp, Sarah grabbed a hand and repeated as she pulled.  “Come on!”

Reluctantly allowing herself to be pulled along, Ashley looked askance at Andreas, who smiled innocently, shrugged his shoulders and followed in trail.  Sarah came to an abrupt halt in the middle of a large, comfortably furnished living room.  “Wait here, Sis… everyone’s in the kitchen fixing lunch.”

Ashley turned to face Andreas as Sarah disappeared through a doorway.  “She’s been calling you Dré?  Doesn’t that seem just a bit… cheeky, to you?”

Andreas placed his hands on Ashley’s upper arms and drew her closer.  “Sarah is a lovely young woman, Ashley… _and_ she’s your sister.  I know I told you I liked the idea of you referring to me by a special name – to be used _only_ by you – but I don’t see the harm in allowing Sarah the same liberty… after all, she _is_ family.”

Before she could respond, a noise behind her drew Falk’s eyes past Ashley’s head.  He surprised her by pulling her in to his body and hugging her tightly.  Whispering, “I love you, Ashley Williams!  Merry Christmas, my darling!”  With that, he released her, pushed back slightly and slowly turned her around to face into the living room as he softly repeated, “Merry Christmas.”

Ashley gasped in surprise, her eyes instantly filling to overflowing.  There, standing in front of her… _No!… it can’t be!_   “Mom?” In a small, tight voice, she squeaked, “Mom?”  It took a heartbeat for her to notice the others.  “Lynn? Abby?”  Throat finally constricted to the point she could say no more, she placed a hand across her mouth and began weeping for joy as she reached out with her other arm to gather up her mother, followed by her two other sisters, in a crushing embrace.

Andreas had tears in his own eyes upon seeing the happiness being expressed by the four people – five, including Ashley – all hugging and crying and talking right in front of him.  That he had been able to arrange this reunion without Ashley getting wind of it beforehand made his chest ache with happiness.  The Williams family – Ashley’s father’s ‘girly horde’ – was together once more.

\-------------------------------

**T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 22 Dec 2188**

That evening after dinner, Hannah returned to her room and brought down a small hover-lift with a large box sitting upon it.  Dropping it slowly to the den floor, she looked to Samantha.  “I know it’s too early for Christmas presents, but you need the items within this box now, not four days from now.”

“Sounds mysteriously like Christmas decorations, Mom… or stuff for _Alban Arthan_?”  Samantha smiled as she moved toward the box and helped to undo the clasps on the lid. 

The celebrative group gathered around as Hannah opened the case to reveal its revered contents.  She couldn’t help but smile at the surprise on Samantha’s face.  "I picked these up just yesterday, so all the greens are fresh; they should easily last until New Years’ Day."

"Wow!  Thanks, Mom!”  Samantha was more than pleased with the four pine-bough wreaths, numerous pine cones and the multitude of mistletoe sprigs that came along with the most important item, lying in the bottom of the shipping crate – a short chunk of partially burned Yule log.  After lifting it reverently from the crate, Samantha ran her hand over the remaining bits of relatively smooth white bark still clinging to the birch log, the progress of her fingers occasionally interrupted as they passed over a couple of rough, blackened knots.  “I never anticipated having a traditional log for this year’s _Alban Arthan_.  This is awesome!”

“It’s part of ours from last year.”  Hannah’s smile turned melancholy for a moment.  “My only regret was that you were on that damnable Victory Tour and not able to join us at the cabin.  But, when it burned in half, I got the idea to save part of it for you.”

The instant Liara saw the contents of the container, she had slipped away quietly and returned quickly with a very similar log, holding it up next to the piece of birch.  Having been distracted by her mom’s mention of the tour, Shepard stared in surprise at the two logs sitting side-by-side.  “How did you know, much less manage, to acquire a birch Yule log, Dr T’Soni?”  Glancing suspiciously at her _Anam Cara_ , she continued, “Did you ask Mom?”

“No, I did not,” Liara laughed quietly.  “You described it to me last year… and it isn’t birch; it’s _b’duero_ – a tree native to Thessia.  They truly do look similar, do they not?”

“Yeah, they do.”  The tone of Shepard's voice picked up, suddenly smiling and turning to give Liara a peck on the cheek.  “And it will pull a bit of Thessia into our traditions!”

Her mom stepped up and quickly gave her a two-handed squeeze on both shoulders as she looked into her daughter's eyes.  “As much as it may pain the both of us, Sam, you’re an adult now, all grown up; you have a home and family of your own.  You need to start your own traditions and, it seems to me, replacing the Terran birch Yule log with one from a similar tree – a tree native to Thessia – is certainly a great start.”

“I suppose so… but I suddenly feel a bit strange; it just hit me… this could be the last birch log I’ll ever burn.”  Shepard looked away as she suppressed the tears that suddenly wanted to slide down her cheeks.

“Don’t be silly.”  Hannah converted her shoulder hold into a comforting hug.  “You need to do this… and the _b’duero_ is so similar to birch, I believe I would be hard-pressed to know the difference, if Liara had not told us.  It’s perfect!”

Shepard turned and took Liara’s hand, drawing her bondmate close and making her blush with her next comment.  “Just like her.”

“Only in your eyes, Siame,” Liara scoffed.  “Besides.  Who’s to say we may not spend a few holidays on Earth?  We certainly can’t expect the Terran side of our family to always make the trek here; it’s only fair we go there on occasion.”

“Gosh, you’re right!”  Shepard blushed slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.  “I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“I don’t understand why not,” Karin laughed, adding sarcastically, “It’s not like you’ve had anything else to worry about over, say, the past five years!”

“So, what do we do now?”  Liara cut in, curious about the tradition and pushing them all back to the topic at hand.

“Well,” Samantha started, before looking at her mother and shrugging.  “Normally we start a fire, then lay the old log on top, and then add the new one to it before the old one completely burns away… so, I suppose we do the same here.”

Hannah quickly chimed in to add more detail to the explanation.  “Traditionally, you would have a huge fireplace and burn a massive log slowly for twelve days… from _Alban Arthan_ , through Christmas, and into the new year.  But modern homes with standard fireplaces generally make that rather impractical so, instead, we start a fire with the old log, keep the fire going continuously through the same time, and put our new Yule log… the one you want to keep… on at the end.  We let it burn for a while and then put it out, saving the remainder for the following holiday.  This way, the light is still passed on from one year to the next.”  With a grin, she added, “It just takes a few logs added in between to complete the cycle.”

“And, once the fire is extinguished, we collect the ashes and spread them in the fields, bringing the warmth and light of the fire, symbolizing the sun, to our gardens to help them grow.”  Shepard shrugged apologetically, almost looking embarrassed.  “I know, with modern agriculture technologies, it’s all very quaint and archaic, but…”

Liara reached over and placed two fingers softly across Shepard’s lips.  “It is symbolic of hope… which never goes out of style, _Siame_.  Remember that I am an archaeologist and, as such, hold a sincere interest in old cultures… yours in particular.  I find it beautiful.”  She looked to Hannah.  “Last year, during the tour, all we had was a candle… and while Samantha gave us a basic understanding of the holiday, we had neither a Yule log nor a way to burn one even if we did, so she did not go into the specifics of the full celebration.”  Looking back to Samantha, she smirked.  “So, I ask again…  What’s next?”

Smiling once more, Shepard let out a little chuckle.  “I guess we bring everyone together, explain this all again, and throw Mom’s old log on the fire!”

Once the word got out, all those at the Estate who weren’t on duty made their way to the den. The fire they had initially started was burning well by the time Hannah and Samantha finished their second round of explaining the details of the holiday, so Shepard immediately leaned in and placed the remains of the old yule log on the fire.  The dry wood was aflame in no time and Hannah quickly joined Samantha at the hearth.  Tradition dictated that, as the elder Shepard, Hannah would speak.  She remained silent instead and looked to Samantha as their hostess, giving her a nod of encouragement.  Samantha nodded back and smiled as she turned to face her extended family.  “And thus, the light is passed from this year to the next.  With the dawn, we shall welcome back the gaining sun.”

\-------------------------------

**South Pole, Edessan, Outer Region: Turian Space** **– 22 Dec 2188**

Aralakh Second Platoon B-Squad was just about to enter the practice arena when sounds of explosions resounded through the open front door.  The Krogan on watch, Onik Nakenk, had nearly ripped it off its hinges as he roared, “Forget the simulator, Pyjaks!  We’ve got the real thing inbound!  The Quarians are here!”

Squad Commander Drau Relut spun around and growled with a grin, “Watch who you’re calling a Pyjak, Nakenk… but I will overlook the insult, because that’s a welcome interruption!  Better a _real_ fight than a damned predictable simulator, any day!”  He reached down and flipped the actuator on his Graal spike thrower with an eager, rumbling chuckle.  “Let’s go kill some traitors!”

The squad immediately ran to the door of the portable training facility, moving surprisingly quietly as they emerged into a small sheltered courtyard.  Moving quickly, they crossed the short space and entered through the back door of the warehouse.  As they reached the front entrance, Relut snarled, “Remember… wait for my signal.  Any of you ruin this attack and risk our victory, you won’t have to worry about the Quarian Marines…  I’ll kill you myself!”

The Krogan squad was disciplined – they were some of the best warriors Tuchanka had to offer – and remained amazingly quiet for a group so eager to kill the enemy.  Onik peered through a small gap in the door as the Quarian vessel… Onik felt certain it was the _Huli_ … circled once, destroying all three of the comm relays.  He growled quietly, “Long range comms just went down…  Too bad for them they are staying true to their pattern…  They won’t be able to call anyone for help when they finally realize this is a trap.”

Only a few moments later, Onik continued, “The ship is setting down… nose in… ramp dropping facing the door!”

Drau Relut slipped his Graal into its holster and reached over his shoulder as he said, “New plan.  When I yell, shove the doors open and run at them from the right side, leaving me a clear line of sight down the left.  I want them all looking at you and not at me… at least for a few seconds… just until it’s too late.”

Ruklan Jenk, the squad’s engineer, glanced over.  “Too late for what?”

Relut growled, “You’ll know soon enough!” just as Onik called out that the open ramp allowed him to see troops and a hover-lift inside.  Without hesitation, Relut shouted, “Go, go, go!”

The seven squad members crashed out through the doors, moved towards their right and charged the ship, much to the Quarians’ surprise.  As predicted, the rebels’ focus immediately shifted to the hoard of Krogan running towards them; Relut heard someone within the _Huli_ shouting out, “Trap! Abort! Abort!”

It was far too late.  Before the ramp even stopped descending, much less had a chance to reverse direction to begin closing, Commander Relut placed an M-920 launcher against his shoulder pad and pulled the trigger.  As the graphite rods were consumed by the anti-matter reactions, the resultant mass effect field silently zoomed toward its intended target, accompanied by the roar of his battle cry, _“Korbal!”_  

The energized matter whipped through the doorway, taking all six of the Quarian Marines with it as the extremely powerful mass effect field swept the cargo hold clear of obstructions – no matter their original form, organic or otherwise.  It set off multiple small explosions before colliding with the aft bulkhead, which was crumpled and warped beyond recognition.  The resultant final explosion ripped the entire panel from its attachment points within the ship’s hull and violently shoved the center section backward into the drive core containment area.  The ship’s computer, sensing the imminent collapse of the containment field from the huge explosion, immediately sent the core into auto-shutdown, leaving the _Huli_ completely powerless and all the crew and soldiers trapped on Edessan.

The reload and recharge speeds being much too slow, Commander Relut tossed the now empty M-920 Cain to the ground and once more pulled out his Graal, as he too charged into the fray.  The ship’s reserve Marines had already grabbed weapons and were beginning to emerge from the wreckage of their ship as their captain yelled out, “All hands!  Fight or die!  Krogan will neither expect nor grant mercy!”

Even the _Huli’s_ engineer grabbed a rifle and prepared to leave the ship.  Much to his annoyance, the captain stopped him before he could leave.  “Did you set the self-destruct?”

“Can’t; it needs power that’s unavailable… because it relies on a core overload.”  The engineer shook his arm free from the captain’s grip.  “The emergency shutdown keeps that from happening, and we don’t have either the time or the ability to complete the necessary repairs.”

“Then we set charges!”

“What charges?”  The engineer activated his rifle and pushed away, growling, “What do you think all those explosions were, as that field ripped through our ship?  We’re lucky to still have thermal clips!  That charged field destroyed most of them as it passed through!  The _Huli_ was purposely built light… as a fast scout… with minimal shielding between compartments!  With only a dozen of us?  We were fucked the minute that Krogan pulled the trigger!”

The captain stared at the engineer’s back as he turned away to join the hopeless battle.  He winced when the engineer was almost immediately cut down like fragile, dry straw.  Drawing his pistol, he contemplated his very short future only briefly before placing the weapon’s muzzle against the underside of his helmet.  Pulling the trigger was his last conscious act; the weapon fired a high-velocity round through his chin, splattering the contents of his skull and headgear throughout the husk of what remained of his ship.

\-------------------------------

**T'Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 23 Dec 2188**

Samantha Traynor had awakened as she did every morning while staying at the estate on Thessia; unlike the more rigid, military style schedule on the heavy corvette _Knight Shade_ , her mornings at the estate were a bit more relaxed, and thankfully, observed local sunrise.

Thinking back to the previous evening, she suddenly remembered that Riana planned to take her sightseeing – possibly even to Serrice.  With a quick glance at her chrono – 0735 – she tossed the covers aside, threw her legs over the edge of her comfortable bed and stood up.  She paused to stretch her arms towards the ceiling while standing on her tiptoes, then moved to the bathroom to relieve her bladder and wash up before pulling on underwear and dressing in casual clothing.

After brushing her hair and tying the excess length into a ponytail – it having been quite some time since she’d had it trimmed – she straightened the bedding, then left for the dining room; as it was still early, she was hoping to catch Riana before the Asari finished her own breakfast.

Upon entering the dining room, she quickly spotted Riana sitting with Sella Temi and Allia Vasia.  She filled a plate with some fruit and _Uloth_ , set it and a large mug of _Kaffe_ on a tray and moved to sit next to her _amantia._   After a quiet ‘good morning’ directed at the commandos, she turned to Riana with her shy smile and said, “Good morning, Luv.  I trust you slept well.”

Riana grinned at her _Breá Ber’ah;_ she applied a quick kiss on Sammi’s cheek before saying with a smirk, “I slept wonderfully… just as I always do when I’m in your embrace.”  She sipped a bit of _Kaffe_ from her own mug before adding, “Soon as you’re done eating, we’re going travel to Lesuss so we can visit with my sister Aresia at the monastery.”

“Oh my gosh!  Just you and me?”

“Lady Liara decided to accompany us after I asked her permission to make the trip… said she wanted to visit with the Headmistress, Matriarch Tela T’Sori.  I imagine Spectre Shepard will be coming as well.”

Sammi kept her expression neutral but couldn’t quite keep the disappointment that she wouldn’t be traveling alone with Riana from coloring her response.  “So how many people will be coming with us?”

“We’ll be traveling in _VIP-1_ , so Liara’s personal guard, plus pilot Lusmeni Thoni.”  Taking note of Sammi’s disappointed tone, she quickly added, “It’ll be a one-day trip, my love – out and back.  Tomorrow, I’m going to take you to Serrice – I want you to meet my university biotics instructor, Huntress Elzia Trani.  It was her recommendation that brought me to House T’Soni as a commando candidate in 2135.  I thought it would be nice for us to have lunch together.”

Traynor was intrigued, but also surprised, to be included in a visit with someone so obviously important to Riana’s education and current position within the T’Soni household.  “Are you sure, Riana?  Sounds like a rather personal visit… I wouldn’t wish to intrude…”

Riana reached over to gently grasp one of Traynor’s hands as she said, “You are my _amantia_ , Sammi.  It is not possible for you to intrude, as you say.  Huntress Trani is the reason I joined the T’Soni family…” Soft brown eyes bored into Sammi’s as she concluded, “… and now, _you_ have become a T’Soni family member, simply because you chose to resign from the Alliance Navy to follow me here.”

The nearly overwhelming feelings of gratitude and love Sammi felt for this beautiful Asari had her eyes becoming glassy with extra moisture.  She grinned at Riana in silent agreement before clearing her throat in order to speak without squeaking.  “Okay, then.  Will there be an opportunity to do a bit of shopping while we’re in Serrice?  I need to find a gift for you.”

“A gift?”  Riana asked incredulously.  “Why ever would you need to give me anything more than your love, Sammi?  We share each other’s thoughts every night before we sleep.  You give me so much… every day we’re together.”  Nodding at Sella and Allia as the pair picked up their trays and left, Riana gave the hand she was holding a gentle squeeze.  “I realize the Human tradition of gift-giving during this time of year is deeply ingrained, and I will gladly accept whatever gift you choose to give me, but you need to realize that I truly don’t expect you to go out of your way to find something special for me.”

Sammi smiled as Riana spoke, knowing in her heart that she had already found the perfect gift for her beautiful blue lover.  _Just have to keep a minute portion of my mind sequestered from Riana’s innocent explorations during our melds – at least until Christmas Day._

As for Riana, she also needed to keep a portion of her mind blocked, as she intended to find something special for Sammi’s Christmas present; she believed the perfect gift was waiting for her at a particular store in Serrice.

\-------------------------------

“Shepard!”  The Krogan stood tall as he stared into the communications center video pick-up.

“Grunt!  Good to see you!”  Shepard smiled as Liara slipped up beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Hello, Grunt.”  Liara’s face held a happy smile, but she was concerned; Grunt looked much too serious for this to be a social call.  “Nothing has changed, I hope.  Are you still coming for our New Year’s celebration?”

“Wouldn’t miss is, Liara.  Especially since I need to be there anyway, for our departure on the second.  This is going to be a good fight; I certainly don’t want to miss my ride to the Rim!”

“If nothing has changed, what can we do for you?”  Shepard’s mouth shifted to a lopsided smirk as she chuckled at the young Krogan’s youthful enthusiasm.

“I said I wouldn’t miss the party; never said nothing changed.”  Grunt laughed at the expression on Shepard’s face, easing Liara’s concern in an instant.  He then quickly added, “Merry Christmas, Battlemaster…  I have a ship for you, though it’s a bit beat up.”  Pausing to key something into the terminal, he continued, “Sending you some video for you to look at later.  We didn’t totally destroy it, even though my squad commander decided to ram a Cain down its throat.”

Shepard’s eyes narrowed as she shook her head in confusion.  “Grunt.  What in the Gods’ name are you talking about?”

“Sorry.  Thought you would have heard by now but apparently not, so let me back up a bit.”  Grunt’s face was consumed by a toothy grin.  “The Quarians decided to show up on Edessan, Shepard.”  Both the Spectre’s and Liara’s expressions lit up with understanding and they leaned toward the viewscreen as their level of interest jumped considerably, encouraging the commander of Aralakh to continue.  “The ship was… I suppose still is… the _Huli;_ one of those stealth scouts you told us about.  Came in dead nuts on the profile you described to us, Liara.  Made a sweep of all the comm towers, just like you said they would, before landing and attempting to spit out a squad of Marines with a hover lift.  They didn’t even get out the door before the Cain ripped all of them to shreds and pretty much gutted the inside of the hold… shoved the aft bulkhead into the core containment area, causing the computer to initiate an emergency core shutdown.  We’re working now to get a remote power supply wired up so we can reboot the systems and see what we can pull from its memory banks.”

“Ouch,” winced Shepard with a grimace crossing her face, knowing the power behind the M-920 Cain; they had used such a weapon multiple times against the Reapers.  “Do you need some help?  I can dispatch an engineer or send a systems tech to you.”  Shepard glanced meaningfully at Liara before adding, “You know we have some good ones.”

Chuckling, Grunt responded, “No worries there, Battlemaster.  I have a solid engineer on Second Platoon B-Squad – Ruklan Jenk.  He’s no Miranda Lawson, but he’s damned good at what he does.”  His voice dropped and he snarled, “I’ll pass on every bit of information we get, Shepard… and I guarantee the Quarians will think twice before they try this again, knowing _now_ that we’re out there waiting for them.”

“I think you’re right about that, Grunt.”  Shepard paused and crossed her arms, pursing her lips in thought.  “But be ready… they’re desperate.  They may think twice, but they’ll still come… bringing more firepower with them the next time.  Good luck with the data extraction.  We need all the information we can get.”

“That we do,” Liara nodded in agreement.  “But for now, we have to say goodbye.  We’re scheduled to depart for the Monastery on Lesuss and everyone is waiting on us.”

“Then go.”  Grunt flashed a toothy grin and let out his funny little snicker before adding, “Say hello to Riana and her sister for me… and the rest of the crew, of course.  I look forward to working with them all again.  See you soon.”


	7. Illusions of Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Amantia_ \- lover (Thessian)
> 
> FTL - Faster Than Light travel
> 
>  _Kepesh-Yakshi_ \- Complicated, military-themed game that vaguely resembles 3D-chess in space; literally “Blade of the Night Winds” (Thessian)
> 
>  _Siame_ \- “one who is all”, a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)

 

**VIP-1, Nimbus Cluster, At Large – 23 Dec 2188**

The _VIP-1_ , even though it was nearly as large overall as the _Aletheia_ , still felt a bit crowded to Samantha Traynor, as she had grown accustomed to working – and sleeping – on the roomier _Knight Shade_ … not that she would ever complain about her accommodations.  As long as she was on the same ship as Riana, she was more than content.  Having spent so much time with her Asari lover and in the company of the commandos – her new sisters – employed by House T’Soni, Sammi was beginning to believe that the goddess Athame was somewhat responsible for the direction her own life had taken since the war’s conclusion.

Traynor gazed about her as she sat with Riana in one of the lounge chairs; her many sisters were all standing or sitting in the lounge, speaking quietly among themselves… muted conversations occasionally punctuated by a burst of happy laughter.  She leaned her head on the leather-clad shoulder beside her and sighed in happiness.  _This is where I belong._

Spectre Shepard and Lady Liara had decided to accompany Riana and Sammi on their trip to the monastery on Lesuss; while the pair were visiting with Riana’s sister Aresia and Samara’s daughter Falere, Shepard and Liara would pay a visit to the Headmistress, Matriarch Tela T’Sori.  After giving the matter a bit of thought, Sammi had decided that getting to know Aresia would be a good thing… that the Asari locked members of their race away simply because they _might_ be a problem was abhorrent to her. 

Ri had explained that it was a necessary precaution, as a mating-meld with _any_ Asari carrying the genetic condition always resulted in hemorrhaging in the victim’s brain, with death ultimately resulting in extreme cases.  For those Ardat-Yakshi who did not spend at least some time at the Monastery learning to control their sexual desires, it could evolve into an addiction; every time they completed a mating meld, the Ardat-Yakshi would become smarter, stronger, and more lethal after each encounter… and the need to enter the mating meld became a deadly, irresistible hunger, even though the condition rendered them unable to produce children. 

During the relatively short FTL trip from Pelion to Mesana, Traynor asked her _Amantia_ questions regarding the people carrying the trait.  “Is there anything to worry about from casual contact?  A hug, for instance?”

“No, Sammi, you need not worry on that account.  Neither maiden will attempt to initiate a meld with you… to do such would violate the very reason they choose to sequester themselves.”  Riana smiled encouragingly and continued, “I would begin with the standard Asari greeting and then, depending on if the day goes well and it feels right, hug them upon departure.”

Traynor felt the heat in her cheeks.  “I’m sorry, Ri.  I really do want to ignore their potential to hurt me; I think that hugging people that are close to you helps put them at ease around me.”

Riana grinned.  “They are aware you are my _siame._   That a Human could fall in love with me did not surprise Aresia.  That I could fall madly in love with a Human… in love with _you_ so soon after Ryati’s passing?  That _did_ surprise her… surprised both of them, actually… yet each has previously told me that your unprompted decision to leave your career and follow me to Thessia has already endeared you to them, even without having yet met you.”

Traynor was smirking as she asked, “And, I’m sure, you’ve never said _anything_ to them that would encourage them to feel that way, now, did you?”  Her expression shifted suddenly as a less pleasant thought crossed her mind.  “I feel sorry for them; having to spend an entire lifetime in celibacy is certainly not something I would enjoy, and I’m only looking at another century of living.  A millennium?”  Traynor frowned at the concept.  “I think that would be tough to accept.”

“The monastery is a place for meditation, Sammi… self-contemplation.”  Her face took on an air of gravitas as she continued, “I don’t believe Asari society will ever allow Ardat-Yakshi to live freely away from a controlled environment.  Most cannot think of the mutation without equating it with melding as part of physical pleasure; unfortunately, it takes an extremely exceptional mental fortitude, found in only a miniscule few,  to resist the mind of an Ardat-Yakshi during a forced meld… something which even the Ardat-Yakshi cannot control, except by having the self-discipline to not begin a meld in the first place.  That is what they learn at the monastery.”

“Sounds awful, Ri.”  Traynor shook her head in consternation.  “I find it hard to believe, with all our technology and genetic therapies, that the Asari haven’t found a solution.  Honestly?  Is there nothing that can be done to help them?”

“As of yet, there is no cure… only abstinence… and isolation, at least until they learn to control their lethal urges.  Their victims seemingly experience euphoria far beyond what one perceives during a normal meld, such as what you experience with me.  Their minds are overpowered… dominated… and, ultimately, their brains begin hemorrhaging.  If the meld is interrupted at that point, the victim may survive, but with lifelong effects similar to a massive stroke.  Unfortunately, the routine way such a meld is terminated is only by the victim’s death.”

Their discussion was interrupted by pilot Lusmeni Thoni’s voice drifting from the overhead speakers, requesting that everyone prepare for atmospheric entry to Lesuss. Those commandos still standing around in the lounge took their seats and strapped themselves in for landing; they had arrived.

\-------------------------------

**Lesuss Monastery, Mesana System, Nimbus Cluster – 23 Dec 2188**

“Riana!”  Aresia Iregos walked briskly up to her big sister and wrapped her in a loving hug, which Riana returned just as enthusiastically.

“How have you been, Rez?” she asked, eschewing the private nickname of ‘Squirt’ for her younger sibling.  “Goddess!  It feels good to hold you again!”  Blinking back the tears of joy that always accompanied any meeting with Aresia, Riana slipped her hands to her sister’s shoulders and pushed back a bit.  “Let me look at you!”

“Not much to see, Sis.  Still the same ol’ me.”  Aresia’s grin rivalled a small sun.  Turning, she reached out a hand for Falere, who slowly came alongside her friend to also greet Riana; after a big hug, Riana placed an arm around Sammi’s back and pulled the woman into her side.

“I’m sure you both remember me telling you of Samantha Traynor?  We met during the Reaper War… when I accompanied my mistress on the _Normandy_.”

Neither had actually met Sammi prior to this day and, as Riana’s sister, Aresia moved first to stand in front of the Human.  With her hands out in the traditional manner, she looked into a pair of eyes very similar in appearance to Riana’s.  “I am honored to meet you, Samantha Traynor.  That you chose to leave your career to follow my sister is a bit surprising… and telling, as to the strength of your bond.”

In response, Traynor gently placed her palms on Aresia’s and whispered, “Please, call me Sammi… and it wasn’t really a choice.  By war’s end, Riana had become everything to me.  Being separated from her for the two weeks it took to get the Arcturus relay operational and return to Earth were the worst days of my life.  I love her with every fiber of my being.”  Dropping her hands, she gazed intently at Aresia as she concluded, “Serving in the Alliance Navy without Riana’s presence close by would have taken all the joy from my life.”

Aresia nodded in understanding, saying, “I can see the truth of your words in your eyes, Sammi.”  Glancing at her sister, she asked, “Would it surprise you to learn Riana has expressed similar feelings concerning you?”

“Aresia!”  Riana smiled good-naturally at her sister.  Sammi looked at her _amantia_ for a moment before responding, “She tells me so every day, so no… it does not surprise me in the least.”

Sammi turned to Falere; raising her hands, she said, “I am honored to meet you as well, Falere.  As I told Aresia, please, call me Sammi.”

Falere gently placed her hands on Traynor’s, her touch reminding Sammi of smoky satin on her palms and fingers.  “I am pleased to finally meet you, Ms Traynor… Sammi.  Aresia tells me you were on the _Normandy_ during Shepard’s and Lady Liara’s visit here during the war, and that you are now employed by House T’Soni.”

“Yes, I am, and I thank my good fortune that Spectre Shepard and Lady Liara assigned me a position on the same vessel as Riana.”  Wrapping an arm around Riana’s waist once again, her smile widened into a genuine grin.  “Falling in love with this beautiful soul has been an incredible blessing for me.  It is something I will never take for granted.”

Falere nodded her understanding, saying, “It was the goddess that blessed you, Sammi… and Riana.  Hold onto that love forever.  Nothing in your life will ever be more important.

With eyes twinkling in happiness, she grabbed Sammi’s free hand and said, “Come… I will show you where we… my sisters and I… live.  We have made incredible progress in reclaiming some of that which the Reapers took from us.”

“Lead the way, Falere,” Sammi happily replied. 

\-------------------------------

**Office of the Headmistress, Lesuss Monastery, Mesana System – 23 Dec 2188**

“Lady Liara!  Spectre Shepard!”  Matriarch Tela rose quickly from the seated position behind her desk and gracefully moved to greet them.  “It is so good to see you again!  Goddess, a lot has happened since we last spoke!”

Placing her hands upon those offered by the matriarch, Liara looked chagrined as she responded, “Yes.  It has been more than a year and, for that, I apologize.  Being out of touch for such a long period is unforgiveable.”

The headmistress shook her head in dismissal.  “Do not worry yourself over such a trivial thing; we have all been extremely busy…  Congratulations, by the way, on your bonding!”  Her face took on an earnest smile as she continued, “And you, Shepard, on your successful bid to become a Thessian citizen; both of which are delightful and welcome developments!”

“You are much too kind, Matriarch.”  Liara smiled softly.  “My mother would be of an entirely different opinion over such a transgression of etiquette.”

“Only because your mother was an entirely different type of Asari than you are, Liara dear.  She was from an earlier age, when rigid formality was expected of all.”  Tela sighed at the memory of Benezia’s loss.  “Your mother was truly a beacon of leadership, even if our lives _were_ much less complicated back then, before the Reapers began to wake; a time when we knew what type of behavior was expected.  Our troubles truly began with Saren Arterius and the discovery of the first Reaper artifacts.  Much has changed in the relatively short period of time since then.”

Shepard nodded in agreement.  “It certainly has… and, given the final outcome of forever ridding the galaxy of the Reapers, I would have to say that change has been generally for the better.”  Her gaze landed on Liara, which immediately brought a loving smile to her face, at which point Matriarch Tela let loose a joyful laugh.

“I can see your point, Shepard.”  She grinned at the couple before her.  “As such, let us focus on our future, instead of the past.  I would love to give you both a tour, to show you all we have accomplished in the past year, as we walk and speak about our progress and where we are headed.”

“Sounds like an excellent idea, Matriarch.”  Liara easily shifted from the initial pleasantries into work mode.  “How is the staff faring?  Are you satisfied with those we selected for you?”

“For the most part, yes.”  Tela sighed.  “We did have to release Trasmeni Ironi.  For all her good intentions, she was ill-suited to deal with the issues of the Ardat-Yakshi; she could not get past her fear of the residents… which made it impossible for her to teach meditation.  It is difficult to demonstrate technique and find serenity when you are afraid to close your eyes in their presence.”  The matriarch suddenly smiled as she added, “But her replacement, Alicia Tralis?  Positively wonderful!”

“That surprises me… that Trasmeni’s fear was not discovered during the interviews, no matter how rushed they may have been.”  Shepard frowned.  “How did she slip through?”

“She did not ‘slip through,’ as you say.  Even while we were on our way here, she exhibited no reluctance.”  Tela shook her head and added sadly, “Only when we began to meet the residents of this monastery did it become apparent.  I do not believe she knew of her phobia until directly confronted by her first Ardat-Yakshi, in the flesh.  After three weeks of gradual orientation and habituation, absolutely nothing had changed and she came to me, crying over her weakness and pleading to be released from service.  I had no option but to grant her request.” 

They had stepped out the door into the sunshine of the courtyard and Liara exclaimed loudly in surprise, “By the Goddess!  Your gardens are beautiful!”

“They are not mine,” Tela said with a glowing smile.  “They were already well underway by the time I and the rest of the staff finally arrived.  The students were on their own and did everything necessary to get the gardens all started again after the Reaper attack.  Apparently, the supplies you arranged included all the seeds, as well as the necessary tools, to grow what they needed.”

“I had little to do with it,” Liara denied.  “I placed the whole project into the capable hands of Miranda Lawson and Judea Voni.”

“And I’ve seen a very similar set-up before.”  Shepard studied the grounds with a practiced eye.  “The equipment appears to be pretty close to what Humans refer to as a standard agricultural colonization package.”  Her attention shifted to the matriarch.  “My guess is Miranda provided the list and Judea converted it to the Asari equivalents.  They did exceptionally well under the circumstances… on both the gardens and the reconstruction.”

As they walked the grounds, several of the original survivors recognized the guests and stopped them during their tour, to offer their greetings and to thank them yet again for coming to their aid when no others would.  Being her typical self, Shepard simply waved off the thanks, saying, “We only did what was necessary… but we didn’t get here soon enough.  We should have saved more of your sisters.”

“I believed that once…”  Falere’s familiar voice came in unexpectedly from the side as she, Aresia, Sammi and Riana joined the assembly.  A tense silence blanketed the group as Shepard turned toward the speaker, who then dipped her head and continued, “But I was wrong.  The Reaper War answered to no one’s timeline but its own, Spectre, and you cannot be held accountable for the destruction and death those machines wreaked upon the masses… wherever or whenever they traveled.”

She paused, realizing the entire group was focusing on her words.  Instead of being embarrassed at being the focus of so much attention, Falere squared her shoulders and let her eyes travel across them all as she continued to speak, her voice strong and resolute.  “My sister Rila was but one of the millions sentenced to death by the machines’ erroneous formulae, and her personal sacrifice, her strength, became my cause… my reason and motivation for fighting… in order to give her death some purpose, some meaning.” 

“We fought for survival and peace so that we could put our lives back together and move on.  I know we live an isolated existence here, but we do get news from the outside… thus, we are well aware of the Quarian rebels who now seek to tear that peace asunder.”  Falere’s attention rivetted on Shepard as she asked, “Will you stop them, Spectre, before they again destroy what we have managed to rebuild?”

“They are not the Reapers.”  Shepard spoke softly, but her words resounded in the silence that followed Falere’s question.  “The Council will send a delegation aboard the Destiny Ascension and we will attempt to make peace… but, I will tell you now, we will not sacrifice the SILC to make negotiations work.  Their new-found freedom would be too high a price to pay.”

“Then it is likely we must prepare for yet another war.”  Falere glanced knowingly at the headmistress, who nodded in agreement – they had obviously spoken of this before the Spectre’s arrival – so Falere continued, “I have led the reconstruction of the gardens since I returned here, and our production has grown significantly.  We are once again at the level where we could begin commercial sales… but have agreed to delay such pursuits in order to provide food rations to your forces for as long as necessary to win this victory, Spectre.  We give this freely… in thanks for the lives you _did_ save with both your timely arrival during the war and your actions following, in keeping Asari High Command from sending more commandos to wipe us out.”

“Are you sure about this?” an amazed Shepard asked.  “You could do a lot with that income, which is rightfully yours…  A lot more rebuilding.”

“We have what we do only because the _Normandy_ came to our aid, Shepard.”  Many were nodding in agreement and it was obvious Falere answered for them all.  “Even though we call the monastery home, being confined to this place gives us an appreciation for true freedom.  We have discussed the Quarian situation and will not sit idly by while someone else has theirs taken away… not when we can help.  Due to our genetic condition, we may not be free to participate in the actual fight, but that does not mean we cannot support your cause.”

Shepard started to say something else in rebuttal, but Riana reached over and grasped her wrist, silencing her somewhat surprised Captain of the Guard.  Riana looked the Spectre in the eye, nodded and smiled before turning to the crowd to speak.  “The only words that truly need to be spoken now are thank you.  Thank you for rebuilding and not letting the Reapers dictate your future… and thank you for whatever you can provide to help us ensure the Quarian rebels will not dictate the future of the SILC.  We hope war can be avoided and that we will not require your aid, but in the event that hope proves false, it is good to know your assistance will be available.”

\-------------------------------

After the tour and a quick lunch, Shepard and Liara returned to Tela’s office to discuss the main purpose of their visit.  The small group was now seated in a lounge area and Shepard leaned back into the comfortable easy chair.  “We attempted to have Samara join us here, but she is on an assignment and could not break away.”  Shaking her head slightly, she explained with a heavy sigh, “There has been a murder, one which she believes to have been politically motivated, and she cannot afford to let the trail go cold.”

Liara continued, “But, she is still adamant about getting the laws changed.  And, after having Falere and Aresia serve on one of our ships during the war, we have absolutely no reason to oppose such a change.  We understand just how deadly an out-of-control Ardat-Yakshi is, but honestly believe sequestering every single one of them for life – for the errant ways of a very few – is simply wrong… on so many levels.  There has to be a better way – a more fair way – to treat those deserving of our trust.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.”  Matriarch Tela beamed and took a sip of her water.  “I’ve been giving it some thought… a lot of thought, actually… and Samara’s absence from this discussion lends my upcoming proposal even more credence.” 

“Proposal?”  Shepard raised a brow.  “Do tell, Matriarch.  I’d love to hear any ideas with the potential to hasten this transition along.”

Tela’s eyes glittered with hope as she continued, “The Justicars are busy… extremely busy, since they have accepted the task of enforcing Asari law galaxy-wide as our first national police force.  They are very few in number and still in the process of growth.  Added to that is the fact they must now learn the entirety of Asari law just as they once had to memorize their code… a task that will undoubtedly take decades before they reach their previous capacity.  I feel situations exactly like Samara’s could inadvertently lead to inequity of travel availability for our wards, possibly creating resentment and affecting the serenity within our program… which, among Ardat-Yakshi, could be devastatingly deadly.”

“Which is a short-term problem,” Shepard responded.  “Especially by Asari lifespan standards… but I understand your concerns.  That said, I think we also need to accept the reality that it will take some time to get the program up and running.”

Tela nodded in acknowledgement of the Spectre’s statement and continued, “That is true to some degree but, as a national police force, I do not honestly believe the Justicars will ever have enough time free from their primary duties to escort all of the residents eligible for the visitation program.  In fact, if our occupancy level returns to its previous levels, I believe the problem will grow worse, not better, over what remains of my lifetime.”

“And you have a possible solution?” asked Liara.

“Yes, I believe I do; the very ones we are offering to help you defend – the SILC.”  Tela sat back and clasped her hands in her lap.  “The SILC, for obvious reasons, are immune to the Ardat-Yakshi meld.  Who better to act as escorts for the Monastery’s programmed two-week visitation sojourns… and guardians, against those who may want to act against our residents simply because of _what_ they are, not _who_ they are, once they have left the security of Lesuss?”

“I didn’t think about that.”  Shepard pursed her lips in thought for a moment before continuing, “It is likely that some will forever hold bias, fear and hatred against the Ardat-Yakshi… some with good reason, who have had family or friends killed by the likes of Morinth.”

“Yes.”  Liara frowned as she glanced at Shepard, memories of the many assassination attempts, against both of them, crossing her mind and through the link.  “And we understand all too well that if a bias persists, justified or not, so does the threat.”

“Exactly my point.”  Tela nodded.  “In the past, the Justicars were of sufficient number and could easily perform the duties of escort and protector… but that is no longer the case.  I think the SILC would be an excellent option moving forward.”  She smiled and added, “And, in payment, they would be welcome to establish a permanent residence here… and to reopen our titanium mines to the south, with only a ten-percent tithe to us.”

“So, you would let them establish a home-base here?”  Liara’s voice echoed her surprise.  “A colony of SILC who actually reside on Lesuss full time?  Above and beyond those required to fulfill your escort and security needs?”

Smiling smugly at the perceived acceptance of her proposal, the matriarch nodded in agreement.  “Absolutely.”  _Now, we only need the SILC to agree._

\-------------------------------

Given the Matriarch’s unexpected proposal, the afternoon was spent much differently than anticipated.  Shepard had established contact with Legion, who had agreed with the concept amazingly quickly.  “Shepard Spectre.  The Consensus agrees to the proposal of Tela Matriarch.  We have many applications for titanium and welcome this mutually beneficial arrangement.  Our previous experiences with the Asari, on their home world of Thessia, were… _pleasant_.  We learned much of their people and would look forward to a continued exchange of information.”

“I figured you would, Legion.”  Shepard smiled at her friend.  “I see the benefit to both parties as well, so assumed it would be a relatively short discussion amongst you though, I must admit, just how quick was a surprise.  When do you anticipate being able to start building here?”

“Given the limited population currently occupying the Monastery, we foresee an initial requirement of only ten units for security and escort duties, ten for assistance in reconstruction, and ten for the reopening of the mining facility, Shepard Spectre; all of which are currently available.”  The SILC spokesman paused as his three-dimensional projection turned to face the matriarch.  “We do not care to presume.  Did you anticipate a number different than what I have provided?”

“You are extremely polite, for a machine.”  The matriarch chuckled softly and continued, “No slight intended, Legion.”

“None taken, Tela Matriarch.”  Legion’s head bobbed slightly before he added, “Please, answer my query.”

Smiling at the rather organic gesture, Tela explained, “We would anticipate our general population to grow higher as time goes by…  How much higher is difficult to say, but I would anticipate your ability to send additional units as the demand grows.  Would that be a true statement?”

“Yes, Tela Matriarch.  Additional units would also be added as we open more veins within the mine, once basic renovations are complete and extraction begins.  Would this be acceptable?”

“Most certainly.”  Tela cocked her head in thought before finally asking, “Though, I believe, the true question we need to answer is this…  At what point do we, the current Asari residents, begin to grow uncomfortable with the total number of SILC living here?”  She immediately shrugged and continued, “I honestly have no answer… though, I would assume, as long as our relationship remains agreeable and you remain good neighbors, such a number does not exist.  But, if problems do arise, I also assume we will be able to discuss it amicably when that time arrives.”

“Excellent!”  Shepard smiled happily at the potential solution.  “We still need to speak with the Justicars, of course, and then Asari High Command before we make any formal agreements… just to make sure they have no objections and we don’t inadvertently put anyone in jeopardy by moving forward without their approval.  Even though sequestered at the Monastery, the Ardat-Yakshi are still citizens and under Asari jurisdiction.”

“Agreed, Spectre.”  Tela’s smile was a bit more reserved.  “Though, I certainly hope those conversations can happen sooner, rather than later.  I believe our residents here have suffered long enough… too long, if you want my honest opinion.”

“I must say I am in agreement with you on that point in particular, Matriarch.”  Liara spoke on the topic for the first time since the end of their initial discussion.  “To punish all for the crimes of a few is cruel.  No matter the conditions, no matter how the location is described, or how nice the accommodations, if one is never permitted to leave the grounds, it is still a prison by another name… and it is wrong.”  She stood and looked at Shepard.  “As such, we will begin our discussions with the Justicars as soon as we have returned from our business in the Far Rim.”

“Thank you.”  The Matriarch rose from her chair and bowed gracefully.  “My prayers to the Goddess go with you on your journey, that you may return safely from the upcoming confrontation with the Quarians.”

“Your prayers are both welcome and appreciated,” Shepard stated solemnly.  “Should the Quarians opt to fight, many will likely be forced to find their way to whoever their religion dictates as their higher power.  It won’t be an easy battle.”

“Nothing about war is ever easy, Spectre.”  Tela frowned sadly.  “Nothing.”

\-------------------------------

After an afternoon spent visiting and catching up on everything happening in everybody’s lives, it was time for the visitors from the T’Soni estate to leave for Thessia.  The entire group stood at the landing field saying their farewells; Riana hugging those she knew, while saving Falere and Aresia for last.

As it was every time she had to leave Aresia behind in this place, there were tears in her eyes, and the sadness in her voice belied her words.  “I am so happy we were able to spend the day visiting, Rez.  Given the number of days between visits, our time together never seems to be adequate compensation.  I can’t tell you how much I miss having you with me.”

Aresia wrapped her arms around her big sister, hugging her tightly; the pair remained locked together for a long time, until Riana pushed back slightly and turned her head to place a kiss on Aresia’s cheek.  With a whispered, “I love you, Squirt.  Take care,” she finally released the lovely maiden and turned to bid farewell to Falere.

As Riana turned, Traynor stepped up to bid Aresia farewell.  She held her hands out for the expected goodbye between relative strangers, particularly between a Human and an Asari; Aresia, after spending most of the day monopolizing Sammi’s time, opted for a more intimate farewell.  Sliding in between Traynor’s outstretched forearms, the little sister of the most important person in Traynor’s life wrapped her arms around Sammi’s back, embracing her firmly.

“Sammi, I would have never expected Riana to fall in love so soon after the untimely passing of Ryati,” she whispered in her ear.  Encouraged by Traynor returning the hug, she continued, “You must have been sent by the Goddess to mend Riana’s broken heart.  If you would indulge me, I need to know one thing before you depart here today.”

“Of course, Aresia.”  The whispered reply came without any hesitation.  “Whatever it is, I will answer as best as I am able.”

“You must know that in contrast to her tough Vanguard exterior, Ri’s heart is tender… and still raw from Ryati’s death, as the Asari period of mourning is generally much longer.  Are you intending to stay with my sister for the duration of your life?”

Traynor pulled back in surprise; with their noses nearly touching, she replied softly, “I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with her, Aresia.  Actually, we have even spoken of bonding, but the timing will be of her choice… I will not rush her period of mourning.  She is everything to me… and there is nothing I would not do to make her happy.”

The Asari released her hold on Traynor; pushing back to create a bit of space between them, she said, “Then farewell, Samantha Traynor.  It has been a pleasure to meet the person that makes my sister so content; I wish you all the happiness in the galaxy.”  With a shy smile, she quickly tipped her head to place a quick kiss on Sammi’s cheek.  “Until we meet again…”

Traynor had tears in her eyes as Falere stepped up to bid farewell.  After a brief hug, she said, “It has been a pleasure to meet and speak with you today.  It is easy for me to see what Riana sees in you.  Go with the Goddess, Sammi.”

“You as well, Falere.  I am happy to have met you and a few of your sisters here.  I had a lovely time.”  Sammi brushed at the moisture on her cheeks as she turned to rejoin her _amantia._

“Is everything okay, _Siame_?”  Riana grinned as she kissed a moist cheek.  “Am I correct in assuming that meeting my sister and her friends today had a profound effect on you?”

Sammi smiled as she replied, “I know why they are sequestered, Luv.  Doesn’t make it right.  Being around them all day?  I never once felt any anxiety when we touched hands.  They seem to be just like you, or any of the other Asari I have met since I joined House T’Soni.  I really hope the deal with the SILC works out to their advantage.  They deserve a chance to visit home.”

“I am glad you feel so charitable towards them… few people do.  And you stood quite close to my sister for a seemingly long time.  Care to explain?”

“She asked me if I had given any thoughts to making our union permanent.”  At Riana’s look of surprise, she added quickly, “I told her we have spoken of the matter… that I want to spend the rest of my life at your side.  Was I wrong to do so?”

Riana smirked.  “No, my darling.  Don’t ever be shy about honestly answering such questions from family.”  Riana clasped a brown hand and tipped her head back.  “It has been a good day, Sammi,” she said with a tired smile.  “A very good day… yet, I will be happy to get home.”

\-------------------------------

**_Neema_ ** **, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 23 Dec 2188**

“Ancestors be damned!”  Gerrel scowled and stood from his desk, shouting loudly, “Ken!  Get your ass in here!”

“Yes, Sir!”  As Han’s pseudo aide-de-camp hurried through the doorway, he saw the admiral holstering his pistol, jamming it angrily into position on his thigh.  “What’s happened, Admiral?”

“Get Daro’Xen here… now!  I don’t give a fuck what she’s doing or how much she protests!”

Ken’s eyes widened but he knew better than to protest.  “I’m on it, Sir.  I’ll have her at your door in less than fifteen minutes!”

\-------------------------------

“What is the meaning of this, Han?”  The irate genius stopped short of his desk and crossed her arms in disgust as she growled her question.

“ _This_ is what’s up.”  Gerrel’s arm shot out, a datapad in his hand.  “I told you we needed a pause in operations, but you forced my hand simply to satisfy your own damned pride!”  He rested his now empty hand on the butt of his pistol as she read.  Only when her face revealed she understood what was on that datapad did he continue.  “The loss of the _Huli_ and the deaths of that crew are on _your_ head, Xen… and that is one event I will most certainly lay at your feet!”  His voice was menacingly low as he growled, “I will only say this once…  The next time you barge in here and threaten to endanger this fleet by doing something stupid, thereby attempting to force my hand in military matters about which you know _nothing_ , I will shoot you dead where you stand, consequences be damned!”  He paused for only an instant before asking, “Do you understand me?”

Xen tossed the datapad onto his desk, unrepentant.  “Losses are to be expected in war, Admiral… but, no matter what you say, if your Marines had done their job in the first place, it wouldn’t have come to this.  I am very sorry for the loss of your men… and for that ship… but it doesn’t change the fact that we are starving.”

“That’s a pile of Pyjak shit and you know it,” Gerrel snarled.  “ _Sacrifice_ is expected during war as well… and we have military rations enough to last us for two years.  If those rations are good enough for Marines, they’re good enough for the rest of the fleet.”  He added, sarcastically, “I’m sorry if they don’t include a garden salad for your fine palette to enjoy… but they provide the nutrition necessary to survive… and that’s all we need to do until this war is won.  Once that happens, you can do whatever the fuck you want… until then, I’m declaring martial law in the Fleet and you’ll do whatever the hell I tell you to do.”

For the first time in a long time, Xen sounded worried as she squeaked, “You can’t do that!”

“Our little band of renegades consists mostly of the Heavy Fleet, which I alone control.  After this latest fiasco, you no longer have any input as to what I do or don’t do, Xen.”  Gerrel sneered as he continued, “The order went out while you were in transit here, so it’s already done.”

 


	8. A Holiday to Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Amantia_ \- lover (Thessian)
> 
> FTL - Faster Than Light travel
> 
>  _Galea_ – Species of fighting fish common off Armali shores (Asari)
> 
>  _Grá mo chroí_ _-_ love of my heart (Gaelic)
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Siame_ – “one who is all”, a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)

**Serrice, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 24 Dec 2188**

Selina T’Rori waved at Sammi and Riana as the pair walked hand-in-hand away from the landing pad; as soon as they were clear of the blast zone, Selina brought the shuttle to life and lifted off to do her own shopping.  She had agreed to play chauffer for the couple, relieving Luyna Veuss of the task, after her bondmate and House Steward Lyessa Raptos had drafted her to do some last-minute holiday food shopping for the Estate.  She was scheduled to return no later than 1730 to retrieve the commando and her Human lover… none of them wanted to miss out on the newly introduced T’Soni tradition of a party celebrating Christmas Eve.

After a fifteen-minute stroll, the pair found themselves in a glittering shopping district.  Riana turned to Sammi and drew her close.  “Seeing as we are shopping for one another, we need to go our separate ways… I will need approximately an hour, Sammi, and will come right back here to meet you when I have completed my shopping.”

Traynor was a bit unsure.  “I know we talked about this, Love, but I don’t know my way around Serrice at all…  I’m still a bit uncomfortable with this.”

“Don’t be silly; you have an excellent sense of direction.  I have great faith that you’ll be fine on your own for an hour.  Also, I am well aware you intend to find me some extravagant present, so please, just… keep it simple?  Remember, you still have to get it home in the shuttle.”

“Not necessarily,” Traynor replied with a knowing smirk.  “I’m sure they would be more than happy to ship whatever I buy… it’s not like the location of the Estate is a secret.”

“I’ll see you soon, Sammi.  Go have fun!”  Riana knew exactly where she needed to go, so turned and quickly disappeared into the throng of shoppers.  Just a few meters from where she had parted with her _amantia_ , she glanced back over her shoulder to ensure Sammi’s attention was elsewhere.  Confident the way was clear, she made her way directly to _T’Gabra’s Games_ , a small, high-end shop that offered electronic games created by races throughout council space.

While Riana had seen Sammi play several alien strategy games, she also knew her absolute favorite was _Kepesh-Yakshi_.  The commando walked straight up to a gaudy display featuring several versions of the game, each increasingly more sophisticated… and expensive.  She was glancing around the store, looking for the proprietor, when she spotted a beautifully made board comprised of 64 wooden squares of alternating colors.  _A chess board…_   _Sammi doesn’t have anything nearly so grand_. 

Upon closer inspection, she discovered the cost of just the board, not including the various style options for the chess pieces, was equal to the arcade-class Kepesh-Yakshi game.  With a quiet, regretful sigh, Riana returned to her hunt for the store proprietor.  Finally catching the attention of Luria T’Gabra, Riana asked several questions about the numerous Kepesh-Yakshi variants.  She quickly explained that she wanted to buy the one that most closely emulated the massive table-version normally found in bars and arcades… yet could be played on a computer interface, so Sammi could take it with her as they traveled the galaxy with the Spectre and Lady Liara.

Luria was extremely patient, answering all of her questions and, being extremely familiar with every model in the store, easily listing the pros and cons of each version.  Riana finally settled on a variant that could be carried on an OSD; this would enable Sammi to move the game from their home to whatever ship they had to travel on.  _She’s going to be so surprised!_ Happy with her final decision, Riana made the purchase and left the store to walk back to meet Sammi.  Next stop… lunch and a visit with Huntress Elzia Trani at the university… an event she was very much looking forward to.

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**Serrice University, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 24 Dec 2188**

It was approaching noon when Riana rented a speeder for the short trip to the University of Serrice.  As they approached the grounds, Sammi expressed some amazement at the amount of space devoted to the school.  “The campus is huge, my love… and the flower gardens and green lawns are beautiful, but… I expect it would be easy for a person to become lost while walking around here.”

Riana prefaced her reply with a chuckle.  “My darling Sammi… becoming lost here would be extremely difficult, unless you found yourself without an omnitool.”  She brought the speeder around a rather large building and parked in a spot designated for visitors.  “Like the rest of the city, the entire university is very well mapped, and the most current version is always available for download.”  Raising the canopy and opening the door, she added, “This is the commando training center, where Huntress Trani is expecting me… and I do not care to be late.”

“Don’t you mean ‘us’?  She _is_ expecting me as well, correct?”

“No, actually.  I have not told her I would be bringing a guest along, but no matter, Sammi.  Zia will be happy for me that I have found love, and she will be most pleased to meet you.”  Stepping from the speeder, she held out a hand to her _Amantia_ , saying, “Come on.”

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“Riana Iregos!  It seems to have been forever since we parted!”  Elzia Trani enthusiastically embraced Riana as if she were her own sister, long lost on an expedition.  Pushing back, she took note of Riana’s tears, saying, “Now, now, there is no need for that, Riana.  Both of us survived the war relatively unscathed and while I am still an instructor… you have also maintained your position within House T’Soni, just as I expected you would!” 

Riana grinned at that.  “It has been 53 years since I left here to apply for a position with House T’Soni… and it has been my privilege and honor to hold the position as Lady Liara T’Soni’s First for the past twelve-plus years.” 

Suddenly aware of the other person who had trailed Riana into her office, Trani pushed back a bit more to ask, “And, you have brought someone along with you.”  Turning her full attention on Samantha Traynor, she added, “Please… introduce me to your Human companion.”

Riana held out her hand to Sammi; pulling her shy lover alongside, she made the formal introduction.  “Huntress Trani, this is Samantha Traynor… formerly of the Systems Alliance Navy.  She is now the director of communications, both at the T’Soni Estate and onboard the Spectre vessel _Knight Shade.”_ Riana smiled happily as she added, “But, even more importantly, she is also my _amantia_ , my _siame_ … the absolute love of my life.”

“How wonderful!”  Elzia’s eyes lit with understanding and she studied the Human before her from that new perspective.  “Samantha Traynor.  I am happy to meet the one who obviously means so much to Riana that she would include you in a visit here.” 

Traynor disentangled herself from Riana’s grasp; holding her hands out palms up, she solemnly replied, “And it is my distinct honor to meet the person who was such an inspiration for the commando that Riana has become.  Please, call me Sammi.”

Elzia placed her hands on Traynor’s as she said in a soft voice, “Sammi it is, then… a name which fits you well, if I may be so bold.  Welcome to Serrice University.”

Elzia led her former student and her Human companion into the welcoming confines of her favorite café; with Riana on her right and Sammi on her left, she spoke to both.  “This place has become my preferred spot for lunch… and sometimes, dinner.”

Riana looked around approvingly before responding.  “It’s very nice, Zia.  How long has it been here?  I can’t seem to recall it from my days here as a student.”

A soft laugh preceded her response.  “It was established promptly following the war’s conclusion… with so much destruction all over, very few places such as this survived unscathed.  Everyone needs to eat… and there were many that needed employment of some form.  This establishment was the first built here to serve both needs.”  She paused in her explanation as their hostess seated them at a table.  “Service is discreet, excellent, and the food is very good.”

Directing her attention to Traynor, she commented, “Sammi, if you require assistance deciphering the offerings on the datapad, Riana or I will be happy to help.”

Traynor grinned happily.  “I should be fine, Huntress… Riana has been instructing me in written Thessian, and since moving to Thessia full-time I’ve eaten my share of Asari cuisine; I must admit I’ve developed a real fondness for baked fish… _galea_ in particular… and the leafy greens, _uloth_ and _ke’ah_ that usually complement it.”

Shifting her attention between Elzia and Sammi, Riana added in a loving tone, “Don’t forget your weakness for _Elasa_ , Sammi.”

“Being totally immersed in Thessian culture has allowed me to sample all the foods available to the Asari, Elzia… even though terrene foods are shipped in and stocked at the estate for Spectre Shepard and the few other Humans that call Thessia their home.”  With a smirk at Riana, she added, “This one has been very diligent about my epicurean education.”

Their hostess appeared by their table to take their orders; Riana and Elzia followed Sammi’s lead by ordering baked _galea_ with the usual accompaniment of side dishes.  As they waited, Riana told Elzia about some of her more exciting adventures since joining Spectre Shepard’s team.  Traynor sat back and watched the expressions on both of the Asari’s faces as her _amantia_ summed up the past five years of her life. 

The Vanguard stopped, seemingly finished, and Sammi sat forward in amazement.  “Surely, you’re not leaving off with that!”  Shaking her head in disappointment, she shifted her focus to Elzia.  “What she is neglecting to tell you is just how horrible Earth was when the fleet first returned… and how her final hours of that horrible battle were spent upon the Citadel – after she was the only one who managed to successfully follow Spectre Shepard through the beam.”

“By the Goddess!”  Elzia looked at her protégé with a new level of respect.  “Were you with her when she fired the Crucible?”

“Yes, she was.”  Before Riana could reply, Traynor jumped back in and continued the story, knowing full well that Riana would downplay her role.  “We touched down to pick up wounded… then, instead of leaving with us, she leapt from the ramp of the _Normandy_ as we lifted off Earth’s surface.”  Traynor reached over and placed her hand over that of the vanguard.  “She then chased Shepard across that horrific battlefield… dodging Reaper beams powerful enough to destroy a frigate… all to help the Spectre.”  At that point Sammi turned loving eyes to Riana and squeezed her hand affectionately.

“I have never had the honor of serving with a braver group of soldiers… willingly running straight into death’s jaws… in their attempt to save a galaxy of people whom they had never met.”  Looking back to Elzia, Traynor continued, “During the fight to the Crucible, Shepard was severely wounded and would have died had Riana not been there.  Riana supported her at the console, allowing Shepard to enter the necessary commands to activate the wave that destroyed the Reapers.  Without her, it is very likely Shepard would have failed… and we would all be either dead or dying right along with her, fighting a war we no longer had any chance at winning.” 

Traynor squeezed Riana’s hand again before pulling away, adding, “And, then, she somehow managed to get them both to the Council Docks so they could be evacuated… again, both nearly dying in the process… but she did it.  Her selfless act is the only reason we still have Shepard walking amongst us today.”

Elzia sat back in awe, an enormous, gratified smile on her face as she exclaimed, “By the Goddess, Riana!  When I was your instructor, I obviously saw the potential in you, else I would not have gone out of my way to guide you as I did… but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the life you have led… are still living!”  She sat forward and reached across the table to clasp the younger biotic’s hands in her own as she enthusiastically added, “I am so damned proud of you!”

“I cannot take all the credit.”  Riana gave Sammi a look that indicated a later, possibly uncomfortable, discussion as she added, “Nothing about my actions was selfless.  It was Mistress Liara who ordered me to bring Shepard safely home… so, I was merely doing my duty.  But, while a seemingly impossible mission to complete, the consequences of failure were much too dire to contemplate, so I followed that order willingly.” 

Riana ducked her head slightly as the corners of her mouth tipped up in a shy smile.  “Even so, with all that said, your praise means more than you realize, Zia… thank you.  The Goddess has blessed me more than you know.  I visited Aresia yesterday… at the Lesuss Monastery.”  Seeing Elzia’s surprised expression, the commando continued, “Yes; they survived the war, though many perished when the Reapers attacked them.”

“I am so happy for you, Riana!”  Elzia was astonished by the news.  “With all the destruction, that they managed to survive the war…  But, what of the staff and the Justicars?”

Riana could see the concern on her friend’s face.  “A full staff is in place…”  Her voice reflected sadness as she added, “… but the Justicar order was decimated by the war, Zia.  There are now too few of them to provide escorts for Ardat-Yakshi wishing to visit family and friends… so the residents are currently restricted to Lesuss.”

The huntress-instructor looked up as their hostess and a waitress brought their meals to the table.  After all the dishes and glasses of _Elasa_ had been placed, Elzia looked back to Riana as she took a bite of fish.  “I have the impression you have finally made your peace with the Justicars, Riana.  Can you tell me what changed your mind?”

Riana took several mouthfuls of fish and _uloth_ covered _ke’ah_ as she thought about her answer.  With a wry smile, she said, “Justicar Samara changed my mind, Zia.  Meeting her during the war… when the Reapers attacked the monastery and killed or converted most of the residents there…”  Sammi slid a hand to gently grasp a warm thigh under the table; Riana spared her _siame_ a glance of loving gratitude before continuing.  “I may have told you I have become friends with Samara’s lone surviving daughter, Falere; she has become as much family to me as my own sister.  Since the war’s end, Samara has become the main voice advocating for revising and modernizing the Justicars’ ancient code… to adapt it so it more closely mirrors rules and laws of the current Asari justice system.”

“That is… simply amazing, Riana.  I am so very pleased for you… it would seem you have been able to let go your antipathy towards the Justicars.”

Riana’s smile never wavered as she admitted, “I have learned many things… accepted many truths, since my time here as your student.  Spectre Shepard and Justicar Samara showed me a different side of the Order.  Perhaps because Samara was a mother first, she was able to see that the rules by which she and her sisters have lived for millennia needed changing.”  Riana then sighed sadly.  “She has a different perspective, likely because she lost two of her own three children to the harsh realities of our damned, incurable, genetic flaw.”

As Riana paused, Sammi took over the explanation.  “Her eldest, Morinth, chose to run; Samara forced herself to hunt Morinth down, but did not manage to catch her until she had killed hundreds.  Her other two, Falere and Rila, agreed to live at the Monastery as required by Asari law… to live in isolation from the general population… until the Reapers attacked.  Unfortunately, Rila did not survive the assault.”

Riana shook her head and, her voice sounding sad as she said, “I did not know all this at the beginning.  I got to know Falere and Rila because they had befriended Rez…”  Riana’s voice turned momentarily hostile as she spit out, “... taken her under their wings when it became apparent to them Aresia’s family had disowned her.”

Zia’s voice took on a tone of chastisement.  “You no longer blame yourself for that, Riana, but I see those memories are still bitter.  At some point, you will need to forgive your parents their weaknesses… or, at the very least, simply let it go.  They are dead, Riana… it does no good to hold onto your malice.”

“I know… and time will continue to heal that wound… but I am not quite there yet.”  Riana smiled with wistful understanding.  “Perhaps, when Falere and Rez are once more able to travel to Thessia, I will be able to see your viewpoint more clearly…  I honestly don’t know how long it will be before my lingering resentment no longer exists to cloud my vision.”

“That is certainly not something that happens overnight, Riana, but I had dared to hope the years that have passed had more of a softening affect than they apparently have.”

“No, they have not… but with the war over, it is closer now than it has ever been… and I have hope.”  Riana smiled brightly again as she added, “And I am not alone, by any means.”  Giving Traynor a meaningful glance, she continued, “There are many standing ready to aid the A-Y in this transition to normalcy.  I doubt even Asari High Command will care to stand in opposition to the combined proponents of Spectre Shepard, House T’Soni and the entire Justicar Order.”

 _Not to mention the SILC… whom we dare not add publicly to that list quite yet._   Sammi was enjoying listening to and observing the two Asari as they all ate their lunch.  It was obvious that Riana was extremely happy to be here, speaking with her former college instructor from days gone by.  _Every day I am with this amazing person is a true gift._  Taking a sip from her glass, she reflected on her own journey since graduating from Oxford and realized she and Riana were much the same in that regard.  _Bet my instructors would be just as surprised were they to learn of the amazing twists and turns my own life has taken since that time._

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**T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 25 Dec 2188**

Liara’s hand waved as she swatted lazily at whatever was tickling her cheek.  A quiet chuckle made her realize it was Samantha, so her minor irritation was quickly replaced with a smile as she whispered huskily, “Merry Christmas, _Siame_ ,” her voice heavy with sleep.

Shepard leaned over her and placed a tender, loving kiss on the ridgeline of the Asari’s crest.  “Merry Christmas to you too, _Grá mo chroí._ ”  The warm breath feathering across her scalp fully roused Liara from her repose.

Only then did Liara open her eyes enough to realize Shepard was already dressed.  She remarked on her observation and then queried, “What time is it?”

Smirking, her bondmate answered, “Late.  I must have kept you up too late last night…  You were obviously much too tired this morning to get up, seeing as you apparently don’t even remember me attempting to wake you at 0800.”

Seeing as Shepard was usually up at 0600 hours, Liara’s eyes opened wide in surprise and she sat up, blinking a couple of times to clear her vision before glancing across the bed at the chrono.  “Goddess!  It’s almost ten!  Why did you let me sleep so long?”  She kicked her feet off the opposite side and started to rise… but didn’t get very far before Shepard reached out and caught her arm, pulling her back down and turning Liara toward her so she could plant a full kiss on the Asari’s protesting lips.

“Hush, Li.  It’s Christmas…  You’re allowed to sleep late and take is easy.”  She smirked and added, “That’s kind of what the word ‘holiday’ means.”

Liara would have protested further, but her lips were busy again, as Shepard leaned over, cupped the back of her neck and pulled her close, kissing her deeply.  She felt her body tremble as her _siame’s_ free hand ran delicately down the Asari’s side to cup her hip only briefly before sliding across the soft, warm folds of Liara’s back.  As a quiver of delight rippled through her whole body, Liara moaned softly, “Goddess.  Didn’t you get enough last night?”

Shepard smiled and ran her tongue across Liara’s lips before answering, “I can never get enough of you, _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _._ ”  She pulled back and looked into the darkening blue eyes before her.  “But, if you want me to stop, I will… just say the word.”

A low growl in the Asari’s throat sent a shiver down Shepard’s spine as Liara answered, “Don’t you dare!”

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It was close to noon when the couple finally emerged, showered and fully dressed, to meet the day.  Knowing smiles and gentle chiding accompanied their welcomes from the rest of the T’Soni household, all of them joining in laughter when Karin chimed in, “At least we can be thankful that Aethyta’s not here yet… she’d be having a field day with your late arrival!”

Lyessa’s own mate, Selina T’Rori, was sitting at her side as she smiled at the arriving young couple.  Standing gracefully from her seat and dipping her head in recognition, the House Steward politely queried, “So, would you like breakfast, Lady Liara, or will you be content with a cup of tea while we prepare for lunch?”

Liara’s face took on a hint of a blush as she glanced at her grinning bondmate.  “I assume you’ve already eaten?”

“Yes, I did,” Shepard answered with a chuckle. “Roughly three-and-a-half hours ago.”

“Right.”  Liara smiled and shook her head, looking to Lyessa.  “Tea would be just fine… assuming, seeing as it’s almost noon, lunch is not far away?”

“No, it is not,” Lyessa responded, laughing.  “A garden salad with smoked fish, which has already been prepared and is ready whenever you are.  A nice light fare, along with plentiful snacks sitting out on the dining tables... just be sure to save room for the rather large Christmas feast we have planned as an early meal, say around three this afternoon?”

Liara looked at Shepard and chuckled.  “You did say the holiday was mostly spent eating and opening presents, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did!”  Shepard smiled widely, continuing, “Speaking of which…”  Grabbing Liara’s hand, she started walking toward the large common room, where they had put up all the decorations… including stockings on the hearth, but no tree.  “I have something special for you!”

“I thought we had agreed on no gifts between us, Sam?”  Liara’s face held a worried frown, as she had taken Shepard at her word and not gotten her anything.

“Hey… no scowling.”  Shepard smiled and tenderly kissed her cheek.  “This isn’t really much of a present…  It’s not even wrapped!”  She reached down into Liara’s stocking, laughing as she pulled out a small package of snack-size Terran chocolate bars.  “This, my dear Liara, is to feed that craving you have for Human chocolate!  Only rule is you can only eat a couple of pieces every day… so they last you awhile!” 

“Are each of these different?”  Liara eyed the package in wonder as she took it gingerly from Shepard’s grasp, slowly turning the bag around as she examined its contents.  “No, I can see they are not… though, there are definitely a number of different kinds!”  Her grin said it all as she looked back at her bondmate.  “And I don’t care what you say… this is most definitely a special gift, you scoundrel… wrapped or not!”

“Scoundrel?” Shepard laughed.  “I don’t believe you’ve ever called me that one before, T’Soni.”

“I have developed a rather large Human vocabulary, Shepard.”  Liara smirked as she added, “There are quite a few other names at the ready, as well, should you ever perform an act suitable for me to make use of any of them!”

“Why, Doctor T’Soni!  That almost sounds like a threat!”  Shepard leaned in and kissed her before giving her a quick hug.  “Though, I really can’t see you using words like those that passed through my mind when you said that!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Shepard.”  The familiar gravelly voice surprised them all as Aethyta and Mozia strolled into the room.  “You should have seen some of the temper tantrums our Little Wing threw when she was a wee one and didn’t get her way.”

“Dad!  Mozia!”  Liara’s eyes lit with happiness, despite her father’s taunting, and she moved quickly to intercept the new arrivals, hugging her father tightly.  “I am so glad you managed to make it!”  She left an arm wrapped around Aethyta’s waist as she looked to Mozia and continued, “I assume the Defense Council meeting held no surprises?”

“Nothing substantial, or we wouldn’t be here… we would still be arguing the point, because it is one worth fighting for.”  Mozia smiled softly.  “They see no reason, given all the assistance provided during the post-war recovery, to deny the SILC’s offer to act as escorts for the Ardat-Yakshi visits to Thessia; the decision was nearly unanimous.  The only real question that came out of the discussion was if units who aided particular regions during the reconstruction could be on any team that returns to the same.  I saw no reason to object, assuming the SILC runtimes would be available to do so?”

“A familiar face, so to speak,” Shepard chuckled.  “I’m not sure the SILC will understand the reasoning, but I’ll try my best to explain it to Legion, using Prime Életerő as an example.”  She smiled in understanding.  “You all got to know him at the Estate and would like to see him again… just as I prefer to speak with Legion… because I know and trust him.  It shouldn’t be too much of a jump for them to make the connection.”

“That’s excellent news, even if we do still need to speak with Asari High Command and get their blessing as well.” Liara interjected, wrapping her free arm around Mozia’s waist.  “But quite enough of business talk!  We’re here to enjoy family time together.”  Her voice dropped and her eyes clouded with emotion as she finished, “Time I never, ever, believed would be in my future… so I don’t intend to waste a moment of it!”

“Shit, Little Wing,” Aethyta growled roughly, her voice even huskier than normal.  “Knock it off, or you’ll have us all fucking crying.  It’s supposed to be a holiday, not a damned funeral.”

Laughing through her tears, Liara chuckled, “Goddess, I’ve missed you!”

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After their light lunch, Sammi stood at the large window facing the garden, watching the cold winter breeze swirl the fallen leaves around under the trees.  She actually saw Riana’s reflection in the glass as the commando silently approached, so didn’t even start when a pair of strong, loving hands settled on her shoulders.  “Sammi…  Why are you standing over here by yourself?  Come back to the great hall and sit with me before the fire.”

Traynor turned around to face her _siame_ and placed a little kiss on the tip of a blue nose.  Bringing out a red envelope, she held it up between them while quietly admitting, “I wanted to give this to you earlier, my love, but decided to wait until we could have a few quiet moments to ourselves.”  Glancing down at the envelope she was holding, she placed her free hand in the middle of Riana’s chest.  “I looked in a few shops during our trip to Serrice, and I searched all the stores offering their wares on the Extranet, but never saw anything that really caught my eye… nothing that just… I don’t know… grabbed my attention.  Then, I thought about your love for Ryati.”  The mere mention of her former lover’s name brought instant moisture to Riana’s eyes, a reaction Sammi immediately regretted.

Throwing both arms around Riana and hugging her tightly, she whispered, “Please don’t weep, Ri…  If you start, I’ll begin crying right along with you.  This is supposed to be a happy time!”  Snaking one arm up between them, Sammi lovingly cupped Riana’s cheek and kissed her.  Handing the red envelope to her, she murmured, “Here.  Open your present, so I’ll know if I got you something you’ll enjoy.”

Riana took the envelope and sniffled.  “I will cherish whatever gift you found for me, Sammi.”  Looking down at the decorative envelope, she questioned, “What is in here?”

“Open it up, silly,” Traynor said in a slightly snarky tone.  “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

The corners of Riana’s mouth tipped up slightly as she opened the envelope.  Withdrawing the glossy folded card from within, she opened it after pausing to admire the artwork on the front.  Inside was an itinerary for a late spring/early summer trip to the western side of the continent – specifically, to spend nine days as a guest of Matriarch Tristana at the Thaptos Vineyards.  “Goddess, Sammi!  You arranged for me to spend time in Attena with…” she paused as her throat threatened to constrict with emotion.  Gulping down a sob of happiness, she squeaked out, “… with Ryati’s mother?”  Riana brought her free hand up to cover her mouth and nose.  Feeling a bit overwhelmed, she squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a shaky breath, such that Sammi again wrapped her arms around her lover and held her tight.

With her mouth next to Riana’s ear, Traynor explained, “The first time you melded with me – on the _Normandy_ , during the war – your memories of Ryati’s promise to one day take you to her home slipped through.”  Sammi continued whispering.  “I’ve never forgotten the intensity of that memory, my love; so, I took the gamble that you would appreciate such a gift, even as bittersweet as it may turn out to be.”

Traynor pulled back, but gripped Riana gently by the shoulders while explaining, “Ever since her passing, you have wanted to visit that region of Thessia… to view firsthand the vistas of the rainforests and the coastal rock formations.  Since Ryati was unable to share that passion with you before she was killed, Riana, I contacted Matriarch Tristana.”

Riana had managed to keep her emotions under control; pulling back slightly, she looked into Sammi’s soft brown eyes and whispered, her voice echoing her astonishment as she asked, “You spoke directly with the matriarch… Ryati’s mother?”

“Of course, I did… and she cannot wait to see you again, after all that has happened these past few years.”  Traynor giggled like a schoolgirl.  “She says you had better show up at the gates with a really good explanation as to why you haven’t thought to send even a single message.”  The giggle turned into an outright laugh at Riana’s suddenly guilt-ridden expression and Sammi struggled to finish, “She said every time she attempted to send something your way, it came back as non-deliverable… so she gave up after the sixth or seventh time.” 

Traynor’s expression turned more solemn as she continued, “Ri…  She feared you were once more with Ryati, in the realm of the Goddess… and cried with happiness once she understood who I was… and that you were very much alive and well.”

Shaking her head over the surprise, Riana weakly protested, “Goddess.  It never even occurred to me… to contact her during the war.  I will need to request a leave of absence for this with…”

“Already taken care of, my love.  Shepard and Lady Liara totally agreed that everyone deserves a little break from the routine… including you and me.  They even went so far as to coordinate the trip with the _Night_ _Shadow_ , so Judea can be our pilot!”

“You’re coming with me?”  A full smile emerging on her lips, Riana finally accepted the gift.  “I don’t know what to say, Sammi.  This is… is…” giving up, Riana placed her lips on Sammi’s.  After thoroughly kissing her _Breá Ber’ah_ , she pulled back with a happy sigh.  “Wonderful.”

“I’m glad I guessed correctly, Ri.”  Sammi’s eyes twinkled with glee; after returning Riana’s kiss, she said, “Merry Christmas, my love!”

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**T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 25 Dec 2188**

Immediately following their early dinner, Hannah sought out her daughter.  Looping an arm through Samantha’s, she smiled as she said in a low voice, “Come, Sam.  Walk with me.”

“Sure, Mom.”  Smiling in return, Samantha asked, “Are we headed someplace in particular?”

“The gardens, I think.”  With a smirk, Hannah quickly added, “The indoor ones, that is.”

“The paths have been cleared of snow, if you would prefer the out-of-doors.”  Shepard’s smile shifted to a grin, followed by a quiet chuckle.  “Though, I do believe we’ll have to make a stop and get into our cold weather gear.”

Elbowing her daughter lightly in the side, Hannah then quickly tightened her grip on her daughter’s arm so she couldn’t escape.  “Don’t be a smartass, Sam.”

“Then don’t be a pokey, pushy old broad, Mom.”

Hannah couldn’t help the peal of laughter that rang out, finally collecting herself enough to say, “Gods, I’ve missed my chats with you!  We wait much too long between conversations!”

“Agreed.”  Sam smiled softly and squeezed her mom’s arm.  “Is there something specific you wanted or needed to talk about?”

“Yes… and no.”  Dotingly, Hannah looked upon her daughter and queried, “Does there need to be some explicit reason to get you to walk… or talk… with me?”

“Absolutely not,” Samantha replied with a grin, continuing their stroll toward the entrance of the greenhouses. 

As they entered the first section, remaining arm-in-arm, Hannah took a deep breath, savoring the rich, earthy smell.  “I guess it doesn’t matter where you are… somehow, all gardens seem to smell the same.”

“Except when you walk in right after the spring or fall fertilization,” Samantha grinned.  “Then, they smell like shit… quite literally.”

Laughing in response, Hannah answered, “And your point?  That’s a pretty common practice across the galaxy… seeing as all gardens need to be fertilized.  With all their differences, our various worlds are still very much the same.”  They wandered silently for a bit more until Hannah stopped and pulled Shepard down to sit on the first bench they had come upon.

Looking intently at her daughter, she asked, “Samantha, are you happy?”

“Of course, I am, Mom.”  A bit puzzled, Shepard’s brow pinched.  “Why would you ask that?”

“Humor me.”  Hannah dropped her eyes and let out a little sigh.  “I know you’re stressed with everything going on…  Especially since you never really got the expected rest after that abominable Reaper War Victory Tour.  The two months of leave you managed to wrangle… supposedly consisting of wedding planning and your bonding… nearly ended with your death, compliments of your kidnappers.”  Her eyes came back up to meet Sam’s stunned gaze. 

“Why would you even bring that up, Mom?  Especially now… at Christmas?”

“Because I love you!  And I worry about you, young lady!  I can’t help it!”  Hannah huffed out a sigh and continued, “It’s just that… you’ve just been through so damned much, and you’ve never, honestly, had a place you could call home… and after your father died when you were so young…”  Hannah paused to rein in her emotions.  “Sometimes, you didn’t even have me… with my career always seeming to pull me away from you.”

“Mom, stop.”  Shepard took her mother’s hands in her own and offered up a sad smile.  “You’re being ridiculous!  Yes, I grew up in the Alliance… but I loved it!  That’s why I joined the very day I was old enough to sign the papers.  You and Aunt Karin gave me more love than a kid could ever ask for, so what’s this really about?”

“Thank you for saying so, but I know times were tough after your dad died.  I was suffering my own grief… and I know I wasn’t always there for you when you needed me, placing my own pain before your needs… using ‘duty’ as an excuse to not be around.”

“That’s crazy, Mom!”  Shepard squeezed the older woman’s hands before leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek.  “You had a job to do… the damned Batarian pirates saw to that!  But you always made sure I had either you or Aunt Karin… or even Uncle Dave and Aunt Kay.  Being in the military, I’ve seen lots of other kids in the same situation, sent off to some relative or, worse yet, some far off boarding school where they didn’t know _anyone_.  You _never_ did that to me, and I love you for that.” 

Samantha suddenly smirked.  “I always believed that if you had sent me to Aunt Ann on her farm in Bristol, I probably would have run away… but look at me now!  Sitting on an estate, surrounded by gardens, and loving every minute of it.”  She renewed her eye contact with her mother and added with a grin, “But, I’m a very different person now… been through a lot of changes since those days… and at the end of it all, I’d like to think most of those changes have been for the better.”

“There is that, I suppose.”  Hannah smiled in appreciation.  “We both have, haven’t we?”  She sighed and dropped her head.  “I just want to make sure you live _your_ life, Sam… not the life I want for you, or the one the Council needs you to live.  _Yours_.  Do what _you_ want to do.”

Once again squeezing the hands she held in hers, Samantha smiled softly.  “I am, Mom.  That’s why I left the Alliance… and Earth, behind me.  I couldn’t deal with their shit anymore… always wanting yet one more thing from me.  No matter what I did, or how well I did it, it was never enough for any of them.”

“I know.”  Her mother sighed in disappointment.  “I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but even though Steven was a dear friend, he was a pigheaded fool at times.  Neither one of us could even begin to understand everything you went through… including _dying_ …” 

Hannah had to stop and draw a deep breath to calm herself after she said that, and Samantha interjected, “Hey.  It happened, yes, but somehow, beyond all odds, I’m here now.  I’m the one that went through it, and I _still_ don’t understand how it could even be possible… but Liara and I plan to make the most of it, Mom, no matter the why or how.  So, don’t you worry about me not living my life, because that’s exactly what Liara and I are doing right now.  Living our lives together… and we couldn’t be happier.”  She stopped and smirked again, “Well, I do have to admit it will be better when this stupid crap with the Quarians is over…”

“Gods, isn’t that the truth!”  Hannah chuckled despite herself, shaking her head briefly before continuing, “Just promise me you’ll be careful out there…  That you’ll do everything you can to make sure you and Liara come back alive from the Rim.”  She saw a frown forming on her daughter’s face and shook her head again, more vehemently the second time.  “No.  Don’t do it, Samantha.  In this case, I don’t care if you lie to me… just promise an old woman both of you will come back home to her, whether you believe it or not.  Please.”

“Gods, Mom!”  Tears came to the younger Shepard’s eyes and she hugged her mother close.  “Of course, we’ll do our best to come home!  I fully intend to raise a family with Liara… and if things work out, we hope to have one soon enough that you get to hold a grandchild in your arms!”

When she heard the determination in Samantha’s voice, Hannah’s face lit with a smile.  Holding onto her daughter for dear life, she mumbled into Sam’s hair, “Thank you… you have no idea what that means to me!”

“Yes, I do, Mom.”  Pulling away, Samantha wiped her tears and smiled back.  “Liara and I are in total agreement… we both want to start having kids as soon as we can, so both of our surviving parents, you and Aethyta, will be alive to see your living legacy be born.  We want you to see your grandbaby… or grandbabies, Gods willing.”

Hannah pulled back, looked into Samantha’s eyes and stated perceptively, “The way you said that makes it sound like you’ve already had this very discussion.”

“That’s because we have, Mom,” Sam replied bashfully.  “And no, we’re not rushing things just for your sake…  We want to have children… lots of them.”  A wide grin took over her face and she chuckled.  “We’ve joked about creating our own T’Soni commando squad.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Hannah blurted out.  “Six children?”

“Actually, we were joking about four…” a laughing Samantha shrugged.  “But, honestly?  We’ll see how the first one goes before we decide on the rest.”

“Oh, to be young again!”  Hannah shook her head, a joyful smile on her face as she stood from the bench and held her hand out in invitation.  Samantha reached up to take it, standing as her mother finished, “Thank you for the chat, Sam.  Let’s head back to the main house… I’m sure Liara is starting to wonder where we’ve gotten off to.”

Still chuckling, Sam tapped the index finger of her free hand on her temple.  “No worries there.  She knows exactly where we are… and a little bit of what we’ve been talking about.”

“Is she always in your head, Sam?”  Hannah looked at her daughter curiously.  “I don’t know if I would be able to handle that… total lack of privacy.”

“Yes, she is… but it’s not like that at all.”  Squeezing her mom’s hand in reassurance, she explained, “Intense emotions send up a flare of sorts, getting the other’s attention.  It’s become second nature…  And, at that point, I either invite her to share my thoughts or simply send out a comforting pulse, with the understanding we’ll talk about it later.  We respect each other’s privacy and personal boundaries… and, it’s one heck of a way to get quick help when needed.  Our link has saved our lives more than once.”

“As long as you’re happy with it, Sam.”  Her mother smiled softly as they walked back to the main gathering area.  “That’s truly all that matters to me in the end.”

 


	9. Shattered Illusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Anam Cara_ \- Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)
> 
> FTL - Faster Than Light travel
> 
>  _Grá mo chroí_ _-_ love of my heart (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Gráim thú_ \- I love you (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Inanna -_ pinnacle of Asari blending, perfect unity of two spirits into one (from ‘real world’ Sumerian Goddess of Love, Fertility, and War)
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Kaffe_ _-_ equatorial Thessian vine, the seeds of which are used to produce a non-alcoholic beverage of the same name, the taste described as a mix of coffee and chocolate (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
> QEC - Quantum Entanglement Communicator
> 
>  _Siame_ \- “one who is all”, a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
> XO - Executive Officer

**T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 28 Dec 2188**

The days immediately following Christmas were spent with family and friends… at least, as much as possible.  Even though they still had guests, a potentially explosive conflict was looming in their immediate future, so there was some prep work that could not be postponed any longer.  The day finally came when it was time to say their hopefully temporary goodbyes, their visit having ended with renewed vows from all those present to make the next year’s visits more regular. 

Immediately following their guests’ post-lunch departure, both Shepard and Liara returned to work in earnest.  As such, it was late and most of the house had settled in for the night when Liara queried quietly through the link.  _{Siame?  I have finally finished my scheduling meeting with Lyessa.  Are you about ready for bed?}_

 _{In a bit, Li…  Let me finish my drink and I’ll be in.}_   Shepard swirled the single ice cube in her Bushmills 21 and stared into the fire, warmed more by Liara’s comforting presence in her mind than by the flames before her.

Liara must have sensed her melancholy mood, as she responded quickly.  _{Drink?  Where are you?}_

_{Our private study… aaand you’re coming to join me… aren’t you?}_

_{Of course, I am.}_ Shepard could feel the rumble of laughter in Liara’s chest as she deepened their connection.  _{Did you honestly believe I would do otherwise?}_

_{Not really… but I couldn’t yet sense exactly how tired you were when I asked that question.}_

It was only a few moments before Liara sauntered through the doorway, heading wordlessly for the liquor cabinet in the corner.  Fetching a tumbler, she opened the cabinet and withdrew a bottle of _Akantha_ , pouring a small bit into the bottom of the glass before returning the bottle to its place and joining Shepard on the small loveseat before the fire. 

She sighed softly as she sank into the cushion and leaned comfortably against Samantha’s side.  “It’s our first real Christmas holiday… such as it is… in our home, and I am not so tired that I’d give up on getting to snuggle with you for a bit before bed, for whatever reason.”  She took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes, asking quietly, “What’s wrong?  You’ve been shielded for much of the evening.  I am hoping it was simply so you could focus on work… and not because you are upset with me for holding a business meeting with Lyessa during what little remains of our holiday?”

“Of course not, Li.  I realize there are always some things that need to be done.”  Shepard huffed softly.  “And nothing’s wrong… not really.”  Pulling her arm free from where Liara had pinned her to the couch, she draped it over her _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _’s_ shoulders and pulled her close.  “It’s just the holiday being over already… and my conversation with Mom.  Christmas always makes us think of family, and our chat naturally made my thoughts drift to my father… and then to your mother… and then to us – both with parents gone much too soon.”  She paused to take a sip of her drink.  “I’m just tired of things I can’t control taking away the people we care about.”

“Oh, Samantha,” Liara whispered.  “Unfortunately, that’s the way life is… and, as sad as it seems, it is only proper that children outlive their parents, be it by a little or by a lot.  Yet, while life goes on without their physical presence, they are always with us in spirit…  Just like your father is with you now, and my mother is with me; they are forever a part of our memories, and it is our duty to make them a part of our children’s lives, by keeping their stories alive.”

“You’re right, of course.”  Shepard smiled softly and gave her bondmate an extra squeeze.  “I think, perhaps, what it really comes down to is that I’m simply tired of war… and all the death that comes along with it.”

“Goddess, I should hope so!  Those who aren’t must have something wrong with them, Sam.  And, with any luck, once this Quarian affair is dealt with, the galaxy will finally settle full swing into the war recovery and give us some time… maybe even a _lot_ of time… to relax and regroup before the next major crisis pops up.”  Liara finished off her small helping of _Akantha_ and stifled a yawn.  “Right now, however, I would be content with a single, undisturbed, night of sleep… cuddled up next to the love of my life and held securely in your arms; that is my true holiday wish.”

“That, _Grá mo chroí,_ is most certainly a wish well within my power to grant.”  Shepard gave her an adoring smile and kissed her cheek.  Suddenly removing her arm from around the Asari’s shoulders, Samantha stood and turned, holding out an inviting hand.  “And there’s no time like the present.”

An affectionate smile crossed Liara’s face as she reached up to accept the assistance.  Grasping her hand, Shepard pulled her bondmate quickly to her feet and touched their foreheads together, wrapping her in a tender embrace as she whispered, “ _Gráim thú,_ Liara T’Soni… more than I ever imagined possible.  Thank you for being in my life.”

“You are most welcome, Sam.”  Nestling her head onto Shepard’s shoulder with a happy sigh, Liara was content to remain in the comforting embrace until her _Anam_ _Cara_ was ready to release her… even if it lasted all night.

Catching the thought though the link, Shepard chuckled, “I don’t believe that possible, Li… at least not here.  Like you, I’m ready to crawl off to bed and sleep with you in my arms.”  Grinning, she pushed back.  “And leave the tumblers; I’ll get ’em to the kitchen in the morning.”

\-------------------------------

**T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 31 Dec 2188**

The last few days of December had been stressful, and it showed in the way everyone acted at the New Year’s Eve party, which was overshadowed by a subtle atmosphere of an all-too-familiar feeling of desperation.  Knowing the next day would be busy, a good number of the partiers had turned in before midnight, Shepard and Liara included.

Liara woke, unsure of what had disturbed her sleep.  Sensing Shepard was also awake, she immediately rolled over and placed her head on Samantha’s shoulder, seeking comfort, and began to caress her lover, trailing her hand across toned abs as her fingers moved in a generally downward direction toward her target.

“Liara… don’t, please.”

The Asari’s hand froze in place as she suddenly detected the troubled undertones of Shepard’s words filtering through the link.  She immediately straightened her fingers and placed her hand gently on the woman’s abdomen; sitting up, she attempted to peer down into Shepard’s emerald eyes, but her bondmate wouldn’t meet her gaze.  “Samantha?  What’s wrong?”  Liara didn’t really need Shepard to explain aloud but felt compelled to give voice to the concern she saw etched in her _siame’s_ face… and felt through the link.  “You’re troubled by this upcoming confrontation.” 

Shepard sighed and opened her eyes, the moisture coating them glistening in the light of the moon shining in through the sheer drapes hanging across the bedroom’s balcony doors.  “No fooling you, is there?  Not with the link.”  She placed her hand atop Liara’s and caressed it slowly as she attempted to swallow down the lump forming in her throat.  “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, because I’m right there with you.”  Liara’s face held a sorrowful frown.  “But I can only sense your uneasiness; you’re shielding your specific thoughts from me… which is more worrying to me than anything else at this particular moment.”

“That’s because I don’t want you to see the shadows of the nightmare that woke me…”  Shepard reclosed her eyes and sighed.  “But that is a completely hopeless desire on my part… because I know you’ll see it eventually.”  Her eyes opened and finally met Liara’s, her thoughts flooding through as she dropped her barriers.

Liara gasped as what she saw and felt; Shepard, kneeling on the deck of a ship as she peeled back the facemask of a dead Quarian… Tali.  Grasping Shepard’s hand, she whispered vehemently, “No!  That will not happen!  Goddess!  Why would you even dream such a thing?”

“As was proven by the Prothean Beacon, I can’t exactly help what I dream, Li.”  Shepard swallowed again as Liara tightened the grip on her hand with the unwanted memories that suddenly surged forward.  Sam shook her head, confused by how she felt, so tried to explain.  “The Reaper War was different.  The husks were a different kind of enemy… soulless, enthralled and dominated by the machines that controlled them.  I hate to admit it but, emotion-wise, they were easy to kill.  The Quarians… well…” 

The Spectre’s voice turned angry.  “Damn it!  They’re supposed to be our allies, Li, but I know Gerrel and Xen; they are going to make us kill them.  I also realize some of the soldiers, hopefully _most_ of them, are like Len’Dazza and don’t want to be doing what they’re doing.  But they aren’t being given much of a choice – no more so than the Reaper-controlled hordes.  How many innocent Quarians are we going to be forced to kill in the process?  How many of the rest of us are going to die in this stupid conflict?”

“Oh, Shepard.”  Liara pulled her hand away to reach up and gently stroke the woman’s cheek.  “We have to hope the negotiators can talk some sense into them, come to some peaceful agreement.”  It was Liara’s turn to sigh.  “I know that’s likely too much to expect, but there is always a chance.”

“A slim chance, at best.”  Shepard closed her eyes again as she choked out, “But I have a terrible feeling we’ve used up all our luck, Liara.  I’ve got a rock sitting in my gut that just won’t go away… and I’m used to trusting my gut.”

“Hey.”  Liara clasped her chin and ordered, “Shepard.  Look at me.”

Haunted green eyes opened and looked reluctantly into the surprisingly crystal-clear blue orbs above her.  Liara met her gaze and smiled lovingly as she continued, “What was it you said to everyone earlier regarding your rule to live by for the upcoming year?  Live like there is no tomorrow, so that you have no regrets should it become truth?”

Shepard blinked and a small, hesitant grin crept onto the edges of her mouth.  “Yeah… that’s pretty much the gist of it.”

“Take your own advice, Samantha.”  Liara placed a light peck on Shepard’s lips.  “We have no idea what tomorrow will bring… and I do not want to go into this fight having denied ourselves a final night together.  I would rather spend it in the joy of our love.  We are not fighting yet, so push the war to the side until its time comes.  Use the strength and love of our union to firm your resolve to _win_ this war.  Remind yourself of our perseverance… the power our love has already demonstrated… to pull us through the most impossible of battles.” 

She kissed Samantha again, a bit longer and, this time, however tentatively, her bondmate kissed back.  “We are very much alive, Shepard, against all the odds that have been thrown against us… And I very much intend to remain that way so we can have children and grow old together.”  Her eyes darkened as she pleaded, “Our story is not yet written, _Siame_ …  Join with me now and help to write another chapter.”

Shepard felt the familiar comfort of her _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _’s_ mind surrounding her and she opened herself up, unable to deny Liara’s desire.  The flames in Samantha’s core came alive, were sated, and then subsumed as their inner world turned into the beautiful, fiery swirl of velvety teal _Inanna_.  Sam and Liara slowly drifted off into their united bliss, all thoughts of the not-so-distant war far, far away as they held onto each other in peaceful sleep, well into the next morning.

\-------------------------------

**_Knight Shade_ ** **, T’Soni Country Estate Docks, Thessia – 1 Jan 2189**

The Lake Bisel Blasters, the Armali team, were playing the Ulessian Ogres.  But, following their night of celebrating the new year, what should have been a day spent in relaxation while catching a game of skyball had been spent packing and completing final preparations for the _Knight Shade’s_ departure, scheduled for early the next morning.  Even so, Liara had a scoring stream running on her omnitool and Shepard would occasionally hear her either groan or quietly whisper, “Yes!” depending on who scored.  Shepard had to laugh when Liara finally threw her hands up; only the huge smile on the face of her _I_ _onúin Álainn_ told her the action was caused by the thrill of victory instead of the agony of defeat.

“Pulled it out in the end, did they?” Shepard casually asked, knowing little about the game.

“Yes… but not by much!  They should have done so much better…”  Liara paused as her expression turned forlorn.  “But all the teams have had significant changes in personnel since the war, so I guess I can’t honestly say that now.  I haven’t had much time to follow the new team recruits, so I don’t truly know how we compare anymore.”

“But they’re still our home team, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?”  Seeing the change her words made in her bondmate’s demeanor, Shepard grinned and continued, “They won this one… and we’ll still support them, no matter where their season record leaves them.  You’re obviously not one to give up on someone easily.”

Smiling, Liara walked over and ran a hand softly down her _siame’s_ arm.  “Thank you, Samantha, for reminding me of that… because you’re absolutely correct.  You are living proof that I do not.”

“And I thank the Gods every day for that!”  Back to business, Shepard glanced at the checklist she was working through.  “I’m also thankful that… I think… I’m done.  How about you?”

“I have to admit I was a bit distracted by the game…”  Liara paused, blushing, with an embarrassed smile crossing her lips as she continued, “… but Riana picked up on it and helped me out, so I’m not as far behind as I should be based on my own lack of focus.”

Closing down her omnitool, the Spectre grinned at her XO and asked, “Seeing as I just so happen to have some free time, is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yes, actually, there is…”

\-------------------------------

**_Destiny Ascension_ ** **, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 3 Jan 2189**

Tevos stood quietly for a moment, standing with the rest of the equally irritated welcoming party in the hangar bay, as she hid her emotions and inconspicuously seethed at the audacity of the Quarian admirals.  In a tight, controlled tone, she finally spoke to the unknown person standing before her.  “What is the meaning of this?  Where are Admirals Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen?”

The envoy smirked and replied, “Certainly you didn’t honestly expect them to attend in person?  To put themselves at your mercy, aboard the Council flagship, and risk immediate incarceration, ending this negotiation before it ever honestly had a chance to start, did you?”

Councilor Valern frowned.  “Of course, we expected them in person!  We have come here looking for peace and their attendance would have been a display of trust… trust that is apparently lacking!”

“And you brought luggage.”  Noting the shipping crate beside the envoy, Councilor Quentius inquired suspiciously, “Did you plan on staying aboard for the duration of the negotiations?”

“Not at all.  This is a triple-node point-to-point conferencing communications device designed by Admiral Xen, so she and Admiral Gerrel can attend ‘in person’ as you so desire… only, holographically.”

Matriarch Lidanya answered immediately, “Out of the question.  Put that device back aboard your shuttle and get it off my ship… immediately, or I’ll throw both you and your device right out into space without the convenience of your pressurized transport.”  She looked to Tevos and continued, “They won’t attend in person, yet they expect us to simply trust this isn’t some type of device designed to incapacitate or kill the Council?  As Captain of this vessel, I refuse it!  Will you countermand me?”

Tevos shook her head slowly.  “No, I will not.”  Looking back to the envoy, she continued, “So, that device will be removed from the _Destiny Ascension_ without delay.  Then, as I am certain you came here with the appropriate contact protocols, once we get to the conference room you will give them to my systems technicians so we may establish direct visual communications with your admirals.”

The first cracks in his otherwise calm demeanor began to show, and the envoy began to fidget anxiously as he asked, “And if that option was not included in the Admirals’ plan, and I do not?” 

Tevos’ eyes narrowed and her voice turned glacial as she replied, “Then you will be correct in your assumption that this negotiation will end before it ever has a chance to begin… and you will be detained as our very first prisoner of war.”

Nervously clearing his throat, the envoy answered quietly, “No need to do anything quite so hasty, Councilor.  It was just a question.”

“To which she has provided an answer…  And yet the order that you have neglected to follow remains.”  Lidanya made a gesture and a commando on her left lifted the Quarian communications device with her biotics and, before the envoy could object, tossed it through the environmental barrier out into space.  Watching the case slowly tear itself apart as it passed into zero atmosphere put a satisfied scowl on the matriarch’s face.  She then returned her cold gaze to the envoy.  “Now.  Think very carefully about how you answer my next question, as you will only have one opportunity to respond.  Do you, or do you not, have the necessary contact protocols for this negotiation?”

Even behind his mask, they could see the envoy had paled significantly, mostly due to the tingling sensation on his skin, which he instantly knew to be the start of a biotic field.  He answered directly, without hesitation.  “Yes, Matriarch Lidanya, I do.”

First giving the ship’s commander an appreciative nod, Tevos glared at the envoy.  “Then let us move past all this ridiculous posturing and get to the business at hand, shall we?”

\-------------------------------

“I truly don’t see your position as one of leniency.  You arrived here with a full battle fleet and then treated my envoy like a criminal, Councilors.”  It was abundantly clear by his tone that Han’Gerrel vas Neema was none too pleased when the _Destiny Ascension_ and a good portion of the Council battle fleet appeared through the relay… particularly with the manner in which their chosen envoy had been ‘welcomed.’

Surprisingly, it was not Tevos, but Eri’Addan vas Rannoch who responded.  “And just how are we supposed to approach you, Admiral Gerrel?  After you have obviously gone pirate, ransacking Turian colonies and ships at will.  By the ancestors, how exactly are we supposed to respond to such villainous acts?”

“Those attacks were not of my making,” Gerrel snorted.  “Do you have even one shred of evidence…”

He was rudely cut off by Quentius.  “That’s a complete lie and you damned well know it!  Don’t you dare attempt to insult our intelligence or make this situation any worse for yourself by lying about what you’ve been doing!”

“Please.”  Tevos stood up from her chair to ensure garnering everyone’s attention before glaring unhappily at the screen.  “However abrasive Councilor Quentius’ approach, he is correct, Admiral.  We have been monitoring your actions for some time now.”

Speaking quickly, Valern interjected.  “Yes, yes.  We’ve had you under surveillance… long enough to know you gained possession of the Andromeda Project cast-offs… and to catch you in an act of piracy at Edessan… immediately following the _Huli’s_ dispatch from the _Neema_ on your orders!  Please, do not embarrass yourself again by denying it.”

Disgusted, Gerrel sat back in his chair.  “Alright… I’ll admit the _Huli_ departed the fleet from the _Neema_ … but it was by Daro’Xen’s command; she’s the one with the new toys.  I and my soldiers are perfectly content with the issue rations…  It is Xen who is out of control and directing these so-called acts of piracy.  If you had bothered to look a bit deeper before jumping to conclusions, you’d also find that I had issued a stand-down order… and she launched the _Huli_ anyway.  Also, as soon as I found out about the attack, I declared Martial Law, so she couldn’t do it again.”

“You worthless Pyjak!” Urdnot Jara snarled.  “Do you honestly expect us to believe that wretched worm you call Xen did anything without your approval… when you have the entire Heavy Fleet at your command?  You think us idiots?”  She leaned forward eagerly, her beady red eyes zeroing in on the figure on the screen.  “You are a sniveling coward!  First, you refuse to come here in person, and now you are trying to use a female as a shield for your acts of piracy!  The least you can do is admit you had the quads to attack the Turians!  That, I could respect!”

“I didn’t answer your summons because I’m not a fool… and this is no negotiation.”  Gerrel crossed his arms in disgust.  “This is a trial, assuming it can even be called that, since each of you already seem to believe me guilty.  It’s more like a sentencing and you’re simply giving me the opportunity to plead my case before you decide the severity of my punishment.”  He uncrossed his arms and sat forward, asking, “Are any of you willing to admit to that?”

With a sigh, Tevos was the one who answered.  “You are most likely correct.  I will not say that arresting you and Daro’Xen was necessarily our intention when we began planning this intervention.  But I must confess, the evidence that has been brought forth since we realized who was conducting the raids…”   

“Is rather damning, even to me… one of your own,” finished Eri'Addan.  “So, the choice is yours, Admiral.  You and Admiral Xen can turn yourselves over to meet Quarian justice…”

Jara didn’t let him finish, an eager glint in her eye.  “Or we can do this the hard way… which, in good Krogan fashion, will be a whole lot more satisfactory from my perspective!”

Gerrel stared into the screen in stony silence for a few moments before finally answering, “I can’t make that decision on my own.  I need time to call together all my Captains and ship representatives to conduct a Conclave.  Give me one solar cycle.”

Tevos leaned over and chatted quietly with Eri before answering, “There is not enough to discuss to warrant that amount of time…  The choice is simply between you and Xen turning yourselves over, or us destroying the Quarian Heavy Fleet… an expense the Quarian people on the homeworld should not have to bear… _again_ … after so recently rebuilding the Fleet following the Reaper War.”

“It is not as simple as that and you know it,” Gerrel growled.  “The real question is the Geth… a topic which you have so carefully avoided.”

“You mean the SILC?” prompted Eri.

“Exactly my point.”  Gerrel’s expression held a sarcastic smile.  “This whole charade isn’t about piracy at all.  It’s really about the fundamental question of property…  Property which Shepard stole from us and won’t let us take back now that she’s done with it.”

“No!”  Tevos displayed unusual anger in her abrupt answer.  “You lost any claim on the _Geth_ when they began to develop sentience and subsequently earned their independence in the Morning War.”

“They committed genocide!” shouted an irate Gerrel.  “They took our homeworld, destroyed our colonies…  They nearly killed us all!”

“But they didn’t.”  Eri’Addan remained the calmest of them all, having lived with these stories his entire life.  “To set the record straight for the purposes of this conversation, it was us who tried to kill them, first… and even then, all they did was push us out of the system.  They purposefully abandoned pursuit and _let_ us leave... even when they had the upper hand and could have easily chased us down… destroyed the entire Flotilla.  We attempted to kill them all, yet they _did not_ repay us in kind.”

With Eri’s demeanor soothing her ire, a calmer Tevos added, “Not to mention your violation of the ban on creating AI to begin with, which resulted in the loss of your embassy and any standing you had within Council Space.  Once the Geth became sentient, you had no more claim over them than anyone has on the Batarians… or the Rachni… or any other race we haven’t gotten along with over the course of history.  You may not like them, but you can no longer _own_ them… ever.”

Before the rebel could say anything else, Eri’Addan vas Rannoch issued the deadline.  “You have exactly six hours to render your decision to the Council, Admiral Gerrel.  Not one second more.”  He then reached up and terminated the call.

“Huh,” Quentius huffed in disgust.  “That went well, don’t you think?”

\-------------------------------

**_Knight Shade_ ** **, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 3 Jan 2189**

“Shepard?”  Traynor activated her mic again and continued, “Councilor Tevos is waiting on the QEC in the communications room for you.  She doesn’t sound very happy.”

“Tell her I’m on my way, Traynor.”  Shepard glanced over at Liara and stood from the table in the dining area, where they were having tea and _Kaffe,_ awaiting the news that was, apparently, about to arrive.  “Shit.  That doesn’t sound promising.”

Liara smiled hopefully.  “We’ll never know unless you answer the call, Shepard.”  Looking calmly down at her omnitool, she opened her communications interface.  Though her heart felt like it was about to rip itself in half, her voice was steady as she continued, “But, just in case, I’ll issue the team alerts.” 

Samantha reached over and wrapped her hand softly around Liara’s bicep and gave a gentle squeeze.  “Thanks, Li… but hold off just a bit.  Open our link and I’ll alert you if you need to make those calls.”  Her eyes dropped only briefly before coming back to the edgy, yet determined, gaze of her bondmate.  “It’s not like we didn’t see this coming.”

One final, quick flex of her fingers on Liara’s arm and Shepard turned and walked resolutely to the lift, quickly tapping the interface for Deck 2; striding off the elevator, she hastily made her way through the war room, leaping up the four steps on the far side as she hurried the final few paces to the QEC interface.  “Councilor.  My apologies for keeping you waiting.”

“Shepard…”  Tevos stopped after that single word and shook her head, looking down with a sigh.  “I am afraid I do not bear good news.”

“Nothing we didn’t expect, Tevos.”  Shepard offered up an encouraging smile.  “Tell me what happened.”

As Tevos relayed the poor results from the discussion, Shepard cursed under her breath.  “Gods be damned, Rae!  Certainly, he has to see the entirety of the Council Fleet arrayed in the space around him… including the SILC and any number of Spectre vessels.”

“Of that, there is no doubt, Shepard.”  She didn’t make eye contact and her eyes darted nervously around as she added, “And, honestly, he didn’t seem in the least bit anxious.  I will admit, that has me a bit more unnerved than anything else he may have done.”

“Me too,” Shepard scowled.  “What in Hell does he have up his sleeve, if the entirety of Council power sitting outside his viewport doesn’t have him worried?”  Her forehead wrinkled in thought and she asked, “And Xen never made an appearance the entire time?”

“No, she did not.  According to Gerrel, the Fleet is under Martial Law and she has been restricted to quarters.”

“Restricted to quarters, my ass,” Shepard growled.  “They’re up to something and, whatever it is, it can’t possibly be good.  Tell me you called to activate the infiltration teams… to be ready for whatever it is they’re planning.”

“I am, Shepard.”  Tevos’ head bowed as she whispered, “I truly am sorry to be forced to ask this of you, Samantha.  You deserve better from us all.”

Shepard smiled with understanding.  “I know, Rae… but we _all_ deserve better than this petty infighting… not just me.”  She drew a deep breath and blew it out quickly, standing up straight and throwing her shoulders back as she tapped Liara via the link.  “So, Councilor.  When do we deploy?”

Tevos picked up on the change in attitude and gave an appreciative nod to the first Human Spectre.  “As soon as you can notify Commander Williams and have your teams ready.  Make the arrangements and let me know your launch time.”

“That’s easy, Councilor; we both already have our teams on standby.  Less than thirty minutes from call up to stepping out the door.”  She lifted her arm and focused on her chrono.  “Launch time will be 2115 hours unless you hear differently from me within the next five minutes.”

“Understood, Spectre.”  Tevos squared her own shoulders and raised her head as a sign of confidence in the results of the upcoming confrontation.  “Pass along my thanks to the entire team… and go with the Goddess, Shepard.”

\-------------------------------

**_Moreh_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189**

Xen watched in disgust as her greatest invention to date crumbled apart in the void of space.  The device had been created by pure luck to begin with, but her quick recognition of what had happened had enabled her to stabilize… an unnatural three-set of separated quantum-entangled particles.  Every bit of research completed previously to that event had indicated it was impossible… but, at some point in history, FTL space flight had been thought of the same way.

In truth, the device was extremely unstable… and that was exactly what Xen had been counting on.  She had tested it multiple times and the end result was always the same; after roughly ten minutes of use, the hydrogen atoms in the area immediately surrounding the device would begin to get excited… _very_ excited.  Based on the power generation curves, she had determined that after fifteen minutes, the reaction would become irreversible.

She grinned at the thought of what would… what _could_ have happened, had they not cast the device from their ship.  The plan was amazingly simple in execution.  The Asari love their water.  The _Destiny Ascension_ held a number of parks and recreation areas… including lovely pools of crystal-clear water… all of which evaporate into the air and keep the ship’s humidity level much higher than your average starship.  When the particles within the device had become excited enough, after maybe five or ten minutes of use, it would have sparked a hydrogen reaction – not enough to destroy the _Ascension,_ but certainly powerful enough to kill whoever was standing closest, and likely severely injure anyone else within the same compartment.

Her grin shifted quickly to a scowl as she got to the part in the story that gave the first indication of their future destruction.  She didn’t even know his name, but the envoy had no idea what it was that he truly carried, and now it didn’t matter.  He had failed.  Now, that war-mongering idiot Gerrel had also failed and they had six hours to enact their back-up plan – one which, without the death or, at a minimum, the incapacitation of the Council, was likely doomed to failure.  Disgusted, she turned to her Bridge crew.  “I will not be arrested and tried like some common war criminal.  Begin Operation Fury.”

\-------------------------------

The time had come.  Shepard fired the boosters on her jetpack and rocketed toward the underbelly of the Quarian ship – Grunt, Hailot Jatok and the rest of her team following close behind.  She knew the Blackwatch squad was doing the same, on the opposite side of the ship and a bit farther aft, as the two port and starboard engineering maintenance hatches they were using for access were offset by nearly ten meters.  Spinning and landing softly, she gave Harley Creath, her fellow N7, the go ahead.

Harley immediately set to work, using his N7 infiltration training to bypass the hatch safety while his electronic decoder worked on the entry cypher; in less than two minutes, the hatch was open, and the team began to work their way inside.

Blackwatch was mere seconds behind on their own entry.  The team members entered first and, as the last of his team slipped into the ship, Captain Vidinos turned to Spectre T’Dura and gave her a nod.  By far, the Turians had the most difficult… and hazardous… part of the mission; they would draw attention away from the primary teams, so Shepard could reach the Bridge and the infiltration team could get to engineering and shut down the _Moreh’s_ power and weapons.

Moises nodded in return and set her chrono for a silent three-minute countdown.  She knew Blackwatch was a distraction team, but the job was key to their final victory.  If everything else went south, their… _distraction…_ would become critical.  Blackwatch was to target the Moreh’s secondary eezo core, which powered the artificial gravity and life-support.  With over two-thousand souls on-board, the Quarians could not afford to ignore the Blackwatch attack and would be forced to dedicate their limited Marine force to restore operations to that secondary core.  _If they don’t, that distraction will kill them all… faster than Shepard or I ever could._


	10. The Uncivil War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AI - Artificial Intelligence
> 
>  _Ajrakila_ \- identified with the aspect of Athame _Rala_ , the warrior goddess and patron of huntresses
> 
>  _Amantia_ \- lover (Thessian)
> 
>  _Anam Cara_ \- Soul Friend/Mate (Gaelic)
> 
> FTL - Faster Than Light travel
> 
>  _Inanna -_ pinnacle of Asari blending, perfect unity of two spirits into one (from 'real world' Sumerian Goddess of Love, Fertility, and War)
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
> QEC - Quantum Entanglement Communicator
> 
>  _Siame_ \- “one who is all”, a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
> XO - Executive Officer

 

**_Neema_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189**

Master Sergeant Hallie Buckner eased up behind Spectre Ashley Williams, crouched behind a ventilation grill that looked out on one of the _Neema’s_ two main hanger decks; this hanger had been deemed to have less of a Quarian Marine presence than Hanger One.  With the rest of the five-man team crouched close behind them, Buckner whispered into her comms mic.  “Pretty large area, Ma’am.  Think Aralakh Squads can get in without getting cut to pieces?”

Williams chuckled as she replied, “Never doubt what overwhelming force and surprise can accomplish, Sergeant.  The few Marines watching over this hanger will not be expecting a bunch of Krogan to come storming out of a Quarian shuttlecraft.”

Spectre Bau and his infiltration team had been on the _Neema_ forty-five minutes; he had just contacted her to report that the _Neema’s_ weapons and propulsion systems were no longer controlled by the Quarians.  “Opposition not as heavy as expected, Spectre Williams.  It would seem not all the crew on this vessel agree with the course set by Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen.”

“Roger that, Spectre.”  Listening intently to her comms, she turned towards her master sergeant and said, “Aralakh’s twenty seconds out, Buckner.  As soon as the hatches open, we move.”  After giving the area a final visual inspection, she said, “Dallas, you have your targets… take out the little bastard up in the corner first; the closer of the two will attempt to run in that direction.  If either of them sounds an alarm before we have this area nailed down, we’ll be up to our asses in Quarians before we can catch our breath.”

“Aye, Ma’am.  I’ll get it done.”

Ashley grinned at the man’s response.  She had seen Corporal Altor using his silenced M-97 on the live practice range.  He was easily the equal of Garrus Vakarian during the Turian’s stint on Omega as Archangel; she didn’t have any doubts about his ability to take out two targets, the second of which would be running towards the position occupied by his terminated companion.

“Heads up, gang!”  The Quarian shuttlecraft – acquired for this mission by Councilor Eri’Addan – came roaring into the hanger at a speed that seemed imprudent, until the Spectre realized the hatches were already open and Krogan were tumbling out of both sides.  “Let’s move!” came her shout as she kicked the grille into the hanger and rolled out onto the deck.  She moved sideways to keep her team from landing on top of her as she watched the shuttle careen head-on into a pair of parked shuttles and come to a screeching, spark-throwing halt.  She barely heard the double-chuff of Altor’s Viper as he took out his targets; the eight Krogan from Aralakh Company had crushed – literally – the few other Quarians present in the hanger bay.

Ashley ran up to A-Squad leader Betarog Stragg as he dropped the two Quarian Marines he had used like a pair of crash-cymbals.  “Bau and his people have control of _Neema’s_ weapons and propulsion.  You just need to keep any reinforcements from reaching him.  You move towards engineering, take out any opposition you encounter and meet up with Bau.”  The toothy grin and the sparkle in Stragg’s reptilian eyes reminded her of Urdnot Wrex each time he had bashed some Geth troopers or Cerberus soldiers; she was glad he was on her side as he waved to his comrades to follow him towards main engineering.

She next looked to Grirdak Buzk and continued, “You and B-Squad are with me… and your name is too damned hard to wrap my tongue around if I need you fast, so I’m calling you Buzz!”  She finally turned to Rogant Grack and C-Squad.  “Rogue… I need you and yours to stay on this deck, use your omnitools to track us from below once we go up a level.  Make a lot of noise, try to draw some attention away from us.”  She hardened her expression further, saying, “I would really prefer that you not kill anyone dropping weapons and surrendering; just because they’re on this ship doesn’t mean they agreed to Han’Gerrel’s hair-brained schemes.  That said, don’t take any chances with any of them.”

Taking a deep breath to help clear her mind, she finished with a warning.  “This damned ship is huge… it’s the Quarin’s home… they know all the shortcuts… all the special passages too small for any of you, so keep a close eye on your six.  Don’t let ’em box you in.  Okay?”

After watching Stagg and Rogue each crash their fists together in acknowledgement, Williams turned back to her own team.  “Okay.  Let’s move out.  Naughton… Lindemann… you guys take point… and stay frosty!”

\-------------------------------

**_Normandy SR2_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189**

“Joker!  Evasive!”  _Normandy_ went into a gut-wrenching ‘climbing’ turn that momentarily overwhelmed the inertial dampeners; Leon Rensch watched the tactical display in growing dread as the graphical dot representing a Quarian missile grew in relative size each second that it tracked the graphic depicting the ship.  Through all the twists, turns, and velocity changes, the missiles — having now being delineated as a pair — unrelentingly continued to follow and close the distance to their designated target.

Leon knew Edi and Joker were doing their absolute best to avoid being hit, but as the distance between missiles and target decreased to less than 325 meters, he toggled a control on his console, engaging a warning he hadn’t heard on any ship since the Reaper War – that of a collision alarm… loud… mournful… an electronically generated siren sounding through the PA speakers on a continuous loop, from low frequency to high and back to low, while a recorded female voice repeatedly intoned over the siren, _“Brace for collision!  Secure equipment!  Brace for collision!  Lock safety harnesses!  Brace for collision!  Damage control teams to stations!  Brace for collision!”_

Rensch noticed from the corner of his eye that Lieutenant Commander Greg Adams had instantly locked down his terminal and left for the war room; although the outcome wasn’t guaranteed, his move would place the ship’s acting XO in a position to command the ship if Leon was incapacitated or killed.  Conversely, Rensch could continue on if his XO was killed in the war room.  A quick glance confirmed the access hatch sliding closed behind Adams.

Joker’s panicky voice came through his ear mounted comlink.  “Commander!  Edi has the helm and Tali’s destructive interference emitters have been activated… but I’ll be damned if we can shake those pieces of shit!  They’re being more persistent than the fucking Reaper Oculi ever were… and they’re closing on us… fast!”

Leon immediately switched the graphical representation of the ship and its pursuer to short range; the missiles were now within 150 meters and nothing Leon saw contradicted Joker’s assessment.  He was getting ready to key his comm when the nearest missile suddenly vanished from the screen… apparently a victim of Tali’s handiwork.  _What the?  Limited range on the emitters?  Fucking Hell!  I can’t believe we have to wait for the damned things to get that close!_

Breathing a quick sigh of relief, Leon watched the display with increasing fascination, which quickly turned to dread as he realized the missile furthest from the ship had continued to close the distance… and had yet to vanish from the screen.  _God damn it!_  

Leon didn’t waste any more time; he remotely downloaded all their position data into a pair of disaster beacons, set them to continuously broadcast an assistance request and launched them as he spoke to his comms specialist.  “Dubow!  Authorization 359-Bravo Delta.  Broadcast a distress call, all frequencies!”

As the specialist acknowledged the command, the remaining missile breached the 70-meter mark and appeared to deploy a small warhead; this continued to close on the _Normandy_ _’s_ belly.

It quickly became obvious what the device was designed to do, even as Adams spoke through his intercom, “Damned thing is sending out a narrow-beam jamming signal, Sir; it’s targeting our shield emitters.”  After a momentary pause, he added, “Shit!  It’s created a 12-to-15-meter hole in the kinetic barrier, Commander.  I’m unable to block its emissions.”

“Sonuvabitch, Greg!  That has to be one of Daro’Xen’s creations.”

Keying the mic on his ear-mounted comms device, Rensch shouted over the PA, “Brace for impact!  Everybody brace!”  Mere moments later, he felt, rather than heard, a low frequency vibration in the deck under his feet, followed almost immediately by a sharper vibration, intense enough to rattle anything not solidly attached.  The second explosion – in addition to causing all the interior lighting to wink out, leaving the ship in stygian darkness for several moments – also resulted in everything and everyone not bolted down or strapped in to begin floating free of the decking.  _Dammit!  It took out the artificial gravity!_

As the ship’s emergency lighting – woefully dim compared to normal operations – came on, he became uncomfortably aware of the deathly quiet throughout the ship; with engines and ventilation shut down, the cessation of all the vibrations and sounds one took for granted in their daily lives was jarring.  His control console had instantly erupted in flashing red warning lights under the readouts of every function he had been monitoring; of particular concern were the four red indicators rapidly blinking below the main engine status display.  They were now effectively dead in space – not stopped – just unable to affect any alteration in their velocity or direction.

Leon barked, “Joker! Sitrep!”  No reply.  Looking through the tactical passageway towards the flight deck, he saw several of the crew pulling their battle harnesses tighter in order to keep their asses planted in their chairs; he could also see the access hatch to the main airlock was closed, its haptic interface a flickering orange.  “Joker!  Edi!  Sitrep!”

A painfully loud burst of static was followed by the soothing sound of Edi’s calm response in his ear.  “The warhead exploded in the middle of _Normandy’s_ auxiliary machinery and H3-transfer piping compartment, immediately astern of the engineering sub-deck.  I have managed to secure the transfer conduits for the ship’s H3; unfortunately, due to the severity and location of the damage, approximately eighty-five percent of our fuel was lost through the breach before I was able to modify all of the diverter and shut-off valve settings.  The majority of the main reactor heat exchangers were also destroyed, and the main fusion plant is offline.  Our eezo core, while intact, lost all computer control inputs, so self-initiated emergency shutdown protocols.”

Leon cursed under his breath and asked, “Do you have independent control over life support on Deck One, Edi?” 

“Many of the ship’s functions, including environment control, artificial gravity, the galaxy map, and the war-room situational displays, were automatically terminated and will not reboot.  We have retained control over emergency lighting and minimal life support… though, without sufficient heat exchangers remaining operational, I predict the living spaces on board will grow uncomfortably cold over the next several hours.”

Receiving her answer, Rensch continued, “If possible, seal that deck immediately, then divert all atmo and environmental capacity to the rest of the ship.”  Pausing briefly, he added, “What else?”

Edi continued after a few moments.  “The hull breach caused by the warhead was not large and has been temporarily sealed with a kinetic barrier.  As you may have surmised by our lack of apparent motion, we have lost all control over the ship’s helm and thrusters, Commander.  We have no defensive or offensive capability of any kind, and we continue to slowly tumble and roll as we coast along on our previous heading.  The elevator is offline below Deck Three… damage control teams have been forced to use the inter-deck access tubes to reach Decks Four and Five.  I also have reports of a chemical agent being released by the explosion, but immediate effects are unknown.  As we are unable to get a response from Engineer Manos or Engineer Donnelly, and all internal sensors for that area are offline, I can only surmise that both crewmen are incapacitated… or dead.  We will not know their status unless they somehow managed to survive and find a way to contact us, or Engineering damage control teams are able to enter the compartment from the passageways on Deck Four.”

“Shit.”  Leon heaved a long sigh.  “Estimated time until we can get underway again?”

“Unknown, Commander.  Damage to the H3 piping and turbopumps is extensive.  Damage Control teams will have to bypass the damaged transfer piping and rig auxiliary pumps… we may be able to get one or two engines operational, but I would suggest that regaining control over our maneuvering thrusters may be more beneficial.  We need to arrest the ship’s uncontrolled gyrations through the void, Sir.  I would not wish for us to have survived this attack only to burn up from an uncontrolled entry into a planetary atmosphere or a solar corona.”

“Are there any ships coming to our aid?”  He looked at Specialist Dubow while asking, “Have we heard from anyone else?”

Dubow mouthed ‘No, Sir,’ and shook his head as Edi replied, “Comms are completely down, Commander.  We are currently unable to even transmit or receive short-range audio, though I am working on establishing a connection to the emergency back-up batteries.  Even then, unless another ship’s transmitter is within a few klicks of us, we will remain unable to receive any comms.  We have been effectively rendered deaf, blind, and out of control by the Quarian weapon.”

“Dammit to Hell!  Okay Edi, keep me updated on the ship’s status, and the condition of our missing engineers.”  Keying his mic to ship-wide broadcast, he said, “All hands, Rensch here.  I want status reports from all damage control teams, ASAP.  Top priority is restoring helm and propulsion control, or we’re sitting ducks.  After that, we need to restore environmental operations.  Let’s get to it, people!”

He jumped as a hand touched his right elbow; turning towards that side, he was actually glad to see Greg Adams standing one step below his platform.  “Dammit, Greg!  We’re in some really deep shit now!”  He frowned as he grabbed the man’s shoulder and looked at him intently.  “I need you to go below… get some protective gear from stores on Deck Three, then find and assist the damage control teams attempting to get into main engineering.  I know you want to find your crewmen, but your main focus must be on containing the damage and regaining control.  Otherwise, we may lose a lot more than the two crewmen in that section.”

Thinking about Manos and Donnelly, whom Adams would have been with had Spectre Williams not been called to lead the team boarding the _Neema_ , the acting XO’s expression was grim as he replied, “Aye, Sir.”  Carefully turning around, he pulled his boots free of the deck and floated to the elevator in order to go below.

Leon pulled his own boots free of the platform; floating free, he disconnected his battle harness from its anchor point, held onto the railing and pulled himself towards the port side, where he could use the edge of the counter that ran around the now darkened galaxy map display well.  Moving hand-over-hand along the counter, he was at the forward end of the island in a few short moments; pulling his virtually weightless body over the tip of the island with his legs extended behind him, he used his arms to pull his body forward, released his grip on the island and flew rather inelegantly towards the tactical passageway as the ship continued to spin and tumble around him, making his path anything but direct.

After bumping his way into the passage, he finally floated over the threshold and steps.  Reaching up, he grabbed one of the pair of structural supports running like railings along the overhead.  Once again pulling himself along hand-over-hand, he reached the closed entry hatch to the airlock passageway.  Twisting around to force his boots towards the decking, he reengaged their maglocks, activated the mic in his ear-mounted comm and said, “Edi?  I’m outside the airlock iso-hatch; the haptic lock is flashing orange.  Is there any way to override it from this side?”

Her reply was less than encouraging.  “That hatch – along with the hatch on this side of the airlock passageway – cannot be manually over-ridden from either side, Commander.  It’s a failsafe design, meant to prevent loss of atmosphere, either within the ship or the flight deck.”  She paused, as if retrieving data.  “I have attempted to access the security protocol myself; as an extension of the main computer, my personal access will not allow me to place the lives of organics in jeopardy.  I am unable to bypass the programming controlling either hatch.” 

“How in Hell are we supposed to get access to the flight deck, Edi?”

“Either you or Lieutenant Commander Adams will have to log into the main computer to reset the entry security protocol.  There is an access console immediately inside the AI Core Room, against the starboard bulkhead.”

Rensch redirected his comms mic.  “Adams!  I need you to proceed to the main computer compartment forward of Medbay.  Contact Edi when you get there… she’ll instruct you on how to bypass security protocols for access to the airlock and the flight deck.”

Upon receiving confirmation from Greg, Leon redirected his comlink to Edi and Joker. “Edi, Mr Adams will be contacting you shortly from the main computer compartment.  Please let me know when you can leave the flight deck; it’s very likely your help… you and your mechanically superior platform… could speed up the search and salvage process quite significantly… and every second counts.”

\-------------------------------

**_Moreh_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189**

As T’Dura contemplated the many moving parts of the mission, her countdown clock reached zero and she signaled Livos.  With a nod, Captain Tanni slipped through the hatch and entered the ship.  She immediately knew Blackwatch had already engaged forces… at least she hoped it was Blackwatch and not Shepard’s squad… because she could hear gunfire off in the distance.  She drew in a deep breath and refocused on her own mission; having memorized the ship’s layout, they had planned the path of supposed least resistance, so she turned and started moving quickly towards the aft sections, trusting those behind would follow.

Between Spectre Shepard and the Blackwatch teams, T’Dura found the way ahead fairly clear and the infiltration team made quick work of their transit through the ship, but actually breaching Engineering was an entirely different story.  The _Moreh_ wasn’t exactly a large ship, but she still had a detachment of Marines to guard her.  At the first sign of interlopers, Xen had apparently dispatched a security team to each of the more critical areas within the ship, Engineering obviously being one of them, and the defensive squad was putting up quite the fight. 

The Spectre team had managed to get in through the main entry and the Asari portion of the group worked hard to shield Daeto Telas as he hacked the controls and sealed the hatch from outside reinforcement.  Just as Telas shouted out success, a stray round ricocheted over his head and clipped a xenon trioxide flow-control valve; the gas was an essential element of the radiation detection system – the neutron and X-ray sensor arrays – and highly explosive upon contact with organic materials.   His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as the world around him seemed to slow to a crawl, yet he could not act quickly enough to prevent what happened next.

His long, drawn-out scream, “NOOOO-o-o-o-o-o-o!!!” echoed through the compartment, but it was too late.  The valve snapped off, resulting in a high-pressure stream of volatile gas bursting from the ruptured control and blasting directly into his teammates.  Lieutenant Tra’ana Iremi, Livos’ second-in-command, had the misfortune of being closest to the breach and in the direct path of the resulting leak, which resulted in a series of small, but powerful, detonations as the chemical reacted violently wherever it contacted her skin.  The succession of rapid micro-explosions propelled her against the bulkhead with enough force to render her unconscious, which saved her from suffering the intense pain of being progressively ripped apart under the multitude of biochemical microbursts.

Time snapped back into its normal rhythm and Daeto sprang into action, quickly identifying the next control valve up the line; activating his cloak, he vanished as he moved to the valve and shut down the treacherous stream of volatile gas.  As he moved in one direction, the Drell assassin, Kaddi Finnoa, moved in another.  Using the explosive fire as the distraction she desperately needed, she swiftly flanked the Quarian Marine squad and was behind them before they realized it.  A quick toss of two stun grenades and the Quarians were sprawled out on the deck; only moments later, before they could regain their senses, they were all dead. 

The three remaining Asari were quick to take advantage of Kaddi’s surprise assault and, as soon as the last defender fell, Livos Tanni ran to her fallen comrade and slid to her knees at ’Ana’s side.  She already knew the commando was most likely dead; Livos’ only solace came from the fact that her Lieutenant hadn’t suffered much – it had been a quick death, one in which ’Ana hadn’t even had a chance to scream.  The captain choked back a sob as tears streamed down her face; an angry mask overtook her expression as she ground out, “You will be missed, my dearest ’Ana…  Your death will be given purpose and I will avenge you…  This I swear before the Goddess!”

She slowly rose to her feet and turned to T’Dura.  “Not one more of ours dies today, Spectre!  I’d advise you to stay out of my way, for I will wreak the vengeance of _Ajrakila_ upon all who still oppose us!”

“As you will, Captain Tanni.”  Moises closed her eyes softly and dipped her head in respect.  “I will not interfere, so long as your wrath does not interfere with the mission… which I highly doubt will be the case.  If anything, you shall be striking down our enemies while the hand of Athame rests upon your shoulder.”

\-------------------------------

**_Neema_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189**

The Marines exited the hanger behind A-Squad and C-Squad.  Turning to their right after moving through a transverse passageway, they carefully moved down a corridor in the direction of the _Neema’s_ bridge.  The passageway before Ashley was dimly lit, which suited her perfectly; the light enhancement filter built into the helmet’s viewport automatically and instantaneously compensated for the available light level, whether too dim or too bright.  Naughton expressed surprise that this passageway led past few compartments.  Ashley replied, “Chose this route on purpose, Sergeant.  It’s mostly for maintenance access; less opposition to deal with down here.”

With Strax Jrugas and Master Sergeant Buckner close on her six, Williams held her shotgun – an N7 Piranha – at the ready; in the field, she would have chosen her M-96 Mattock, but within the claustrophobic confines of this starship’s tight passageways, she felt the benefit of using a high-capacity, rapid-fire shotgun would more than make up for its inaccuracy at mid-to-long range.

Twenty-five meters from their starting point, they came to a circular stairwell; Ashley had two of her heavily armed and armored Krogan companions proceed up.  Within moments of their feet disappearing from sight, she heard heavy-weapons fire and guttural growls responding to gunfire from lighter weapons.  A muttered ‘Advance!’ sounded in her headset the instant gunfire ceased.  The Spectre grinned inside her helmet… the Krogan that had spoken – Srundok Gilak, she guessed – sounded a bit disappointed.  As she started up the stairs to follow, she queried, “Not enough action for you, Gilak?”

“Urdnot Grunt promised there would be many skulls to crack,” he growled back on the comm.  “These Quarians should feel ashamed at their lack of resistance to our advance.”

With a quiet chuckle, she replied, “Aralakh Company is a formidable opponent, Srundok Gilak.  I’m sure the Quarians will offer a lot more resistance to us entering the _Neema’s_ flight deck.”  Coming up alongside the massive soldier, she added, “They’ll be guarding their admiral.  I don’t believe any but the most loyal to Han’Gerral’s cause will be standing in our way.  Come on…”

The top of the stairwell had brought the assault team to the mid-deck, with a straight, 15-meter passage to the next stairwell.  Ashley leaned her head out from cover to visually inspect their path; there were a number of barricades, placed in a seemingly haphazard manner along the deck, alternating to left and right.  Her action also drew fire from several soldiers crouched behind a few of them.

Looking at Sergeant Naughton, she said, “We need to move past these guys in order to get to Deck One.”  Turning her attention to Tavarog Gund, she said, “Take three of your men, go with Naughton.”  As the Krogan squad shuffled their positions behind her, she took another quick look down the passage; this was rewarded with more weapons fire, some of the rounds pinging off the metal wall centimeters from her face.  _Goddammit!  I’ve had about enough of this shit!_

Bringing up her N7 Piranha, she used both hands to hold it out before her crosswise, muzzle pointing towards the source of the weapons fire.  As she pushed it past the edge of the wall, she squeezed the trigger and held on for dear life as it bucked and spit pellets in a near continuous stream down the passageway.  Jerking it back towards her the instant the tenth round had discharged, she nodded at Naughton.  “Go!”

She quickly reloaded the shotgun as he couched and led the Krogan team members around the corner.  She had just repositioned to take another look when all Hell broke loose – Naughton shouted, “Down!” as the concussive wave from a massive explosion rolled past her position, to be instantly followed by all the air behind her and the rest of her squad rushing past them with the seeming strength of a hurricane.

She felt heavy hands grab her bodily from behind as the comms crackled with warnings: “Hold on!” and “Get down!”  The windstorm stopped nearly as abruptly as it had started; feeling the arms across her chest easing their pressure, she looked around the corner again.  The formerly endless metal wall on the far side of the passage now had an ugly punctuation mark in the form of a ragged, deck-to-ceiling hole roughly four meters across, through which Ashley could see stars sprinkled across the black velvet of space; the hole was sealed – if that was the correct term – by a sparkling kinetic barrier, which had undoubtedly been auto-generated by the ship’s computer an instant after it had detected an outer hull breach.

An increasingly insistent voice sounded in her comlink.  “Spectre!  What the Hell just happened up there?”

“Quarian defenders fired a round from a rocket launcher… breached the hull between us, blew half of fucking Bravo-Squad into space, along with my Sergeant; they were all within a couple meters of the hole.”

She stopped speaking and turned around to look into the brilliant, amber-colored eyes of Srundok Gilak.  “Were those your arms around me?”

Gilak’s growl was a low rumble from deep within his chest.  “Urdnot Grunt would have my quads if I had let that breeze blow your skinny little ass into the void, Spectre!”

The thought, _He really thinks my ass is skinny?_ came and went before she could reply.  Grabbing his shoulder, she solemnly said, “Never been hugged by a Krogan before.  Thanks for that.”

Gilak actually appeared to be embarrassed by her admission.  “I’m just glad I didn’t crush you.  Hard to judge just how much force to apply to a squishy Human.”

Nodding her head as she released him, she turned and began moving cautiously past the massive breach; the team had all their senses alert for the slightest movement ahead.  Once they reached the forward end of the short passage, she called back down to Rogue.  “Looks like the Quarians joined our guys in the void.”  Shaking her head in disgust at what she believed to be an unnecessary loss of life, she added, “If the concussion didn’t severely injure or kill them, being sucked out into the airless vacuum of space surely ended their lives.  Stay sharp down there.”

Ashley turned back to her decimated squad and said, “Looks like five of our comrades are floating around in the goddamned void!  I don’t think Grunt will be pleased about that, and I’m well and truly pissed that they’re gone, along with my sergeant.”

“Brainless Quarians!  Did they think an explosion from a rocket launcher round wouldn’t damage their ship?  Even with their enviro-suits, those Pyjaks won’t have the chance to breathe vacuum… they’ll freeze solid in under three minutes.”  Gilak stared out through the immense hole, as if looking for his lost teammates. 

Ashley sighed heavily; looking around, she attempted to take stock of her squad’s status.  “Damn.  We need to regroup.  Buckner, you and Lindemann take point.  Srundok, your squad is at half-strength – although I expect it’s still more than enough to deal with whatever surprises the Quarians spring on us, I don’t want to see any more of you get injured or killed.  And while not all the crew on this ship are loyal to Gerrel and his mad crusade, there are still 5000-plus on board, and we don’t know how many are on our side.  Two of you stick with Buckner, the other two cover our six.”  Nodding at the circular stairwell ahead, she said, “Okay, Master Sergeant… let’s get these stairs cleared.”

\-------------------------------

Having left the second staircase behind, the progress of the Spectre’s squad was slowed by the necessity of clearing intersecting passageways.  After passing what appeared to be an empty corridor, Strax Jrugas and Ugod Relag came under intense small-arms fire from a contingent of Quarian Marines.  As the remainder of the team hit the deck to assist, several rounds from what proved to be a Geth Pulse Rifle ripped past them from the opposite direction; two of the light-weight slugs buried themselves in the armored back of Strax.

Ashley shouted a warning as Private Lindemann rose in a half-crouch to target their attacker, then watched in horror as the unseen Quarian fired another ten-round burst.  Two of the slugs hit Lindemann in his upper chest, slicing through his armor thanks to being encased in a phasic envelope; these may have been survivable if he’d received prompt attention from Combat Medic Karin McMasters.  What Sidney could _not_ survive was the single round that went through his visored helmet; the explosion of poly-crystalline carbon particles from the back of the helmet was accompanied by a misty cloud of bloody pulp.  Private Lindemann didn’t utter a sound as he collapsed lifelessly to the deck.

\-------------------------------

**_Normandy SR2_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189**

Even though Steve Cortez had been trained extensively on how to react to nearly any calamity that could befall a warship, he was having a difficult time keeping his emotions locked down.  There was anger, that the Quarians had fired on the _Normandy_.  Fear, that damage to the ship’s hull and engineering section might result in the loss of structural integrity, necessitating abandoning the ship.  Worry, for the safety of his shipmates on Deck Four.  Frustration, that access to that deck had been rendered virtually impossible by the amount of damage done to the infrastructure behind the elevator tower – equipment that was critical for the safe operation of the entire ship.

He was leading a damage control team in an attempt to gain access to the Deck Five equipment areas immediately astern the elevator.  It had taken almost fifteen minutes to rig a stand-alone electric drive motor to rotate the bypass shaft that would manually open the massive doors protecting the elevator shaft.  The lack of the haptic interface in front of the door sections spoke to the severity of the explosion; in addition to the physical damage to everything behind the shaft, the lack of a haptic lock on the doors meant the explosion had released an EM pulse that had disabled anything operated by the ship’s computer; Steve hoped its effects had been confined to a small radius.

Once inside the elevator shaft, the Marines had gone to work on a pair of emergency access hatches – one to port, one starboard – set into the rear bulkhead.  Cortez shined his Omni lamp upwards, nervously inspecting the underside of the elevator car stopped on deck three; he could feel the hair on the back of his neck at rigid attention.  Without the ship’s computer controlling the car, the only thing preventing an uncontrolled plunge to the bottom of the shaft was a set of mechanical clamps beneath it, and the lack of artificial gravity.  After a hurried discussion with Specialist Dubow, who was relaying status reports to Commander Rensch, he waited until his team had unsealed the starboard hatch; unfortunately, the instant the hatch cleared the seals of the surrounding door frame, they had been driven back by an escaping cloud of noxious gas.  Steve was happy he had insisted everyone wear the cumbersome protective suits with self-contained breathing apparatus as they retreated to the hanger bay for the several seconds it took for the gas to dissipate.  This simply added to Steve’s anger at the rogue Quarians; he didn’t know how, but he intended to make them pay for adding insult to injury.

Once the air was clear and they could see again, Steve led his team back to the access hatch, where they were finally able to force it open wide enough for entry; the trio of Marines made short work of clearing the broken, mangled piping and conduits that had been dislodged from the brackets and framework upon which it had all been mounted.  Of some concern was the view they all had of the starry black void below them, guarded only be an emergency kinetic barrier; Cortez knew the barrier was being generated from emergency backups, meant to allow a repair crew enough time to restore auxiliary power, followed by main power.

Two more Marines had joined Cortez’s damage control team – he had them work on accessing the damage through the port-side hatch.  Damage to port was much more severe than to starboard – and it was obvious to Steve that repairing the damages caused by the explosion was going to require a dry-dock.  He sighed as he contemplated _Normandy_ being out of service for weeks.  _After making it through the Reaper war with hardly any damage, to be brought down by people we had assisted is too much!_  

Inside the machinery and equipment compartment, Cortez traced their progress aft by comparing frame numbers to the schematic projected by his omnitool.  “Sergeant, look sharp.  We should be able to see the engineering sub-deck just ahead.”

“It’s a real mess, Sir.  There’s mangled piping and conduits everywhere.”  Sergeant Forrest Bigbee was on his belly, squirming about in an effort to get past a pair of 75-centimeter pipes that had been bent and shoved up and sideways.  With a last, massive push, he managed to shine his light into the relative emptiness of the subdeck.  “What I can see looks fairly undamaged, Sir, but there were a number of H3 receiver tanks set into structural wells back there… tanks that I cannot see from here.”  Speaking to his companion, he said, “Grab my ankles, Gerry… pull me back.”

Once back and crouching in the relatively open space just inside the hatch, Bigbee addressed Cortez.  “Only way I see we can gain access to Deck Four is to pull ourselves up the access ladder in the elevator tower beside the hatch, Sir, then force the outer elevator doors on Deck Four open.  We don’t have time to rig the gear we’d need to access the observation windows from the hanger – don’t even know if we could remove the clear panels without some serious tools.  Those windows were designed to withstand atmo on one side and vacuum on the other.”

Cortez nodded as he spoke, “Agreed, Sergeant, so let’s get to it.  We need to reseal the access hatches once we’re out of here.”  Steve helped the man to his feet, then turned and led everyone out of the partially destroyed area.  Once more standing below the elevator car above them, Steve handed Bigbee a safety harness and the end of a long line, saying, “Once you’re beside that door, hook your harness to one of the rungs, then haul the motor up.  Soon as the passageway doors are open, we’ll follow you up – see if we can pry open the access doors into engineering as well.”


	11. An End to Rebellion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RCS - Reaction Control Systems
> 
> _Shaari -_ Asari fruit, unlike any known Human ones, relatively sweet with a single central seed; grows in multiple temperate locations across Thessia and contains enough eezo to make it inedible except by persons with biotics
> 
> _Siame_ \- “one who is all”, a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
> XO - Executive Officer

**_Moreh_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 3 Jan 2189**

Their progress had been quiet and quick for the first fifteen or so minutes after they boarded, right up until Blackwatch squad caused their first major melee… by blowing up the ship’s small armory.  Shepard had laughed at the message she received only a couple of seconds before she heard the big boom; Vidinos had sent five words.  _‘Get ready.  Here it comes.’_ The multiple explosions following the text message explained what he meant better than any words could have.

Shepard realized the import of the Blackwatch commander’s words; with the entirety of the _Moreh’s_ defenses coming online, including the ship’s Marine sweep patrols, the progress of Shepard’s team would slow considerably.  She steeled herself for what would come and muttered a line from a sixteenth century play.  “Cry 'Havoc!,' and let slip the dogs of war.” 

Harley heard her and snickered, “Really?  Quoting Shakespeare?  Now?”

The levity of Creath’s tone helped her relax and the Spectre smirked.  “Well, it _is_ appropriate, don’t you think?”

Bek had also heard the comment and, in response, he let out a laugh and flashed a grin.  “I don’t know who this is you speak of… but, I think I like this… _Shakespeare…_ whoever he is.”

“I imagine you just might, Bek.”  Shepard’s grin faltered.  “Every Quarian Marine aboard is going to be gunning for us now.  Not much sense in trying to sneak around anymore… we’re bound to get discovered, no matter what we do… so, full assault configuration.”  She glanced at Bek and Grunt as she added, “You two, take point and keep us moving forward.  It’s going to be harder to make ground, but we can’t let them slow us down.”

Jatok, as team captain and a Krogan, curled his lip at not being selected to take point and growled, “Then what the Hell am I doing, Spectre?”

“I’m trusting you to cover our six… solo.  I know with you as my rear guard, nobody is gonna surprise us from behind.”  Shepard grinned as she saw him begin to smile.  “I don’t give a shit about how much better they may know the back passages, because they’ll still need to get by you, and I know that won’t happen.”

“You got that right, Shepard.”  Jat’s chuckle was full of venom.  “Nobody’s getting by me.  Never have and never will… certainly not today.”

Jat made good on his promise as Bek and Grunt moved them continuously forward, sometimes at a dead run.  Only one time did they get truly pinned down – at the top of a ladder leading into a long passage with hardly any alcoves along its sides, much less any rooms in which to hide.  The Quarians had set the trap well, sitting in established positions behind barricades – with a secondary squad moving into the passage below, making retreat impossible. 

Jatok had simply growled, “Move forward…  I guarantee no one’s coming up this ladder to follow you.”  After only a brief hesitation, Shepard nodded in agreement and the entire rest of the team focused forward.  The only thing in their favor was that the passage was wide enough for them to move around and establish defensive positions behind the biotic barriers of Iryna Velros and Sella Temi. 

Knowing they couldn’t hold very long under such intense fire, Shepard commanded, “Bek!  I wanna see some of those inferno grenades you’ve been hauling around!  As soon as they blow, I want you, Grunt and Harley running forward and drawing any remaining fire.  Sella, Iryna and I will follow close behind, using the three of you as shields while we launch biotic attacks… and don’t be surprised when you see me slip to crash and blast to finish the fight once we dwindle ‘em down a bit.  Got it?”

Bek simply pulled and activated two of his grenades in answer, chucking the first down the right side of the passage and ricocheting the second off the left wall, rather close to the barrier.  He let out a whoop of satisfaction with the shot as it rolled behind the Quarians’ protective wall.  With weapons fire pinging off their shields, the front trio ran at full speed toward the enemy, their biotic artillery on their heels as Bek lobbed his last grenade over the wall.

Behind them, they could just barely hear Jat’s laugh over the roar of his semi-automatic Batarian AT-12 Raider.  “Come on, you Pyjaks!  Afraid of a little ol’ shotgun?”  His weapon of choice was extremely heavy, which didn’t affect Jat in the least, and extremely deadly, as long as he didn’t run out of ammo.  _Fat chance of that_ , he thought, having picked up every spare thermal clip he could from the dead Quarians they had left in their wake.  He topped off his weapon attack with Carnage as rapidly as he his energy rejuvenation allowed and, if the shotgun happened to overheat, he tossed warps down the hole to keep it clear.  If anyone managed to get too close, he’d simply drag them up the ladder with a Pull and crush them against the wall… dropping them back below as a reminder of what awaited anyone who got within his grasp.

The forward group closed quickly on the Quarian defensive line, the fight… fast and furious.  Shepard was forced to charge forward much sooner than she had liked because the front line had closed the gap and became involved in hand-to-hand, close-quarter combat.  Once she charged in, she lost sight of the rest of the battle, concentrating on her own fight to best any enemy that stepped up to take her on.  She slammed her fist to the ground one final time, releasing a powerful Nova wave that sent her current opponent crashing into a wall, breaking his back and crushing the rear of his skull.  Not stopping to watch as he slumped, dead, to the deck, her eyes immediate hunted for her next foe… whom she would immediately Charge in order to fully restore her barrier… but she found none.

Shepard, very cautiously, stood upright from her battle crouch and looked around.  Dead Quarians were scattered through the passageway, but she hardly saw them as she studied her team.  Bek had a pretty nasty looking gouge across his face, as did Grunt.  She hadn’t even noticed until now that Jat had joined them, the Quarians from the lower deck either all dead or having retreated from the Krogan Battlemaster; he appeared unscathed.  Harley and Sella were both administering medi-gel to their relatively minor wounds, but Iryna…

“Shit.”  Shepard hustled to the huntress and knelt at her side, immediately realizing no medical treatment in the world was going to help her.  Reaching up to gently close the vacant, staring eyes, Samantha quietly whispered, “I’m going to miss your cooking, Irie… especially your homemade _Shaari_ pudding.”   Her shoulders slumped as she rose.  “Damn it,” she whispered quietly to herself.  Sensing a presence at her side, she turned to see who approached.

Shepard had expected Sella Temi, but it was Grunt who had quietly shuffled over, obviously affected by Iryna’s loss.  “She was supposed to stay close to me with my fortified armor, Shepard!  I saw her slip out and I yelled at her… but she ignored me… and now she’s dead.  It’s my fault… should’ve moved to protect her instead of just shouting!”

“Not your fault, big guy.  She was no less a warrior than you and that was her choice… to fight!  Would you have stayed behind _me,_ if I had ordered it during combat?”

“Yes… but only because you are a great warrior… and my Battlemaster…”  He scowled and added, “But to her, I am neither… just a Krogan you asked to join your team.”

_{By the Goddess!  Shepard!}_

Without answering Grunt, Shepard called an unexpected halt, and her team quickly dropped into defensive positions.  She hated stopping right at that moment, because they were within striking distance of the Bridge, with only a single squad of five Marines between them and the hatchway.

Seeing her signal, Grunt squatted down at Shepard’s side as he grumbled in protest.  “This is a bad time to stop, Shepard.  If they call reinforcements, we’ll be fighting on two fronts again and we’re a small team… and now, one less than we were.  So, why stop here, instead of charging forward before they can prepare a welcome for us?”

“Liara.”  Shepard only said the one word in reply, and Grunt’s eyes narrowed; because he knew of the link, he immediately understood the implications.  Shepard turned her attention inward.  _{I’m sorry, Li.}_

_{They must have discovered the infiltration teams and decided to strike first, Shepard.}_

_{Yes.  Vidinos was discovered, so he blew up the Moreh’s armory to prevent them from taking it back and arming everyone on the ship.  But…}_

_{That’s not what I’m talking about_ … _It’s the Normandy, Shepard!  All three of the Quarian’s recently acquired stealth ships dropped into visual, with each launching a pair of missiles before disappearing again…}_

Shepard knew things hadn’t worked as planned and her tone was angry.  _{What about the new disruptive interference defenses?}_

_{Only fifty percent effective.  Two of four struck the Destiny Ascension_ … _killing eight in two separate sections_ … _but one also hit the Normandy.  Goddess!  It hit the Engineering Section, Shepard!  The ship has a sizeable hole in the belly, amidships, and is in an uncontrolled tumble_ … _No one is responding to our hails.  I fear an eezo and H3 fuel breech has_ … _has_ … _}_

_{Stop, Liara.  Don’t say it.  They may just be comm out with the loss of power_ … _}_  Shepard said those words but didn’t truly believe what she had said; even Liara could feel it was a weak attempt at a comforting lie.  Sighing heavily, she concluded with, _{Contact Legion, see if they can divert any assets to assist.}_

_{That’s… that’s an excellent idea, Siame.  Thank you.}_ Liara didn’t mean for Shepard to hear her next thought but couldn’t keep it from passing through the link along with the rest of the communication. _{Goddess, please come back safe!}_  She cursed her lack of control when she realized her bondmate had felt the fear for her wellbeing.

_{Doing my best, Liara, but… you need to know… Iryna Velros.}_   Shepard didn’t have to explain; even though Liara had been previously unaware, the Asari could now see, via the link, exactly what had happened. 

_{I’ve gotta go, Li.}_ As she felt Liara shudder and fight the urge to weep, Shepard backed out of the link.  She knew Liara could use her comforting presence… but she needed to focus and keep moving.  “Gods be damned!”  Glancing back at her squad, she explained with only four words.  “ _Normandy’s_ been hit… hard.”

Behind her, Jatok growled, “Then let’s get off our asses and get this finished, Spectre… before anyone else dies!”

“Roger that, Jat.”  Shepard checked her weapon and started moving, the rest of the team just as eager and tight on her heels.

\-------------------------------

**_Normandy SR2_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189**

It was just after midnight when Bigbee reached the level within the elevator shaft that would allow him to access the override shaft to mechanically open the outer doors – finally allowing the damage control team access to the Deck Four transverse passageway.  He carefully secured his safety harness and began hauling the heavy motor – currently weighing no more than a sack of feathers thanks to the microgravity within the ship – up from the bottom of the elevator shaft.  Once he had the motor in his hands, he leaned away from the access ladder, carefully brought the motor around and lined it up with the end of the axle shaft.  Awkwardly hanging on to the handles on either side of the casing, the sergeant activated the motor; he was happy to see the outer doors react by sluggishly retracting into their recesses as the motor – groaning just a bit under the load – slowly turned the shaft.

Bigbee could feel the metal handles under his gloved fingers getting warm as the doors bumped against their stops; he secured the motor and clamped the shaft in order to ensure the doors remained open.  Activating his comm, he called down to Cortez.  “Deck Four is accessible, Sir.”  He carefully moved from the ladder to the opening, levering himself around the bulkhead until he was standing in the passage.  Looking down the shaft, he could see Cortez and the other four members of his team floating up towards him; as each man drew level with the door, Bigbee reached a hand in to provide an anchor as they left the ladder to stand with him in the passage.

Cortez inspected both the port and starboard access hatches to the engineering sub-deck stairs and inner hatches.  “Just like down below,” he said.  “Port side doors took some damage.  Let’s get the starboard side opened up.”

Bigbee had two of his team members begin work on the hatch after sending each of the other two Marines to inspect the hatches for the freight compartments.  While the starboard engineering access hatch gave way a lot easier than Cortez expected, the view on the other side was much more discouraging… thin, wispy tendrils of smoke were drifting up through the open-stairwell from the sub-deck, and segments of the access hatch to main engineering were peeled outward like sections of skin from a partially-peeled orange.

Steve shouted past the door.  “Donnelly!  Manos!  Are you in there!?”  His reply was total silence; there wasn’t even any of the normal sounds of machinery that one took for granted, and with the exception of the dim, bluish glow from the core containment sphere, the area Cortez could see was pitch black.  He shouted out his engineer’s names twice more, then spoke to Bigbee.  “Sergeant, this hatch is bent to hell anyway.  Get it out of the damned way so we can retrieve our crewmates.”

A subdued damage control team huddled around Cortez as their sergeant said, “Aye, Sir.  We’ll get them out.”

A noise from the port side freight compartment drew their attention; it was Greg Adams, accompanied by Edi.  “Steve… glad we found you.  We came through the transfer tube out of the computer compartment, since Engineering is so damned screwed up.  Have you heard anything from Manos or Donnelly?”

“Only response to my hails was silence, Greg.”  Looking at Edi, he offered an opinion.  “You’ve arrived just in time, Edi.  That access hatch is really twisted and bent.  I need you peel that door segment…” he pointed to one of the five panels that was twisted and bent towards them, “… out of the way… see if it’ll be enough to allow one of us to get into engineering.”

Edi nodded her understanding; she had just moved to stand in front of the twisted hatch when she stopped and raised a hand for quiet; head cocked slightly towards the opening, she said, “I can hear sounds of… metal… being torn and ripped.  I fear there’s about to be a structural failure where the hull was breached, Mr Adams.  We must make haste.”

\-------------------------------

While it was true that Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau was no longer sealed inside the _Normandy’s_ cockpit, he had been content to remain seated in his pilot’s chair after Edi left to accompany Commander Adams to meet up with the damage control teams – led by Commander Cortez – in working their way into the main engineering compartment on Deck Four.  Having heard nothing over any of the emergency channels since the Quarian missile had exploded in _Normandy’s_ equipment laden sub-level astern the elevator, he was getting ready to cut power to the receivers when a crackle of static caught his full attention.  Opening a reply channel, he sent a recorded response, on the off chance someone had actually found them; this was rewarded with a mechanical voice.

“ _Normandy_.  _Normandy_.  This is SILC heavy cruiser _Xi-rho-tau_.  We have been dispatched to provide damage mitigation assistance.”

An increasingly queasy stomach – caused by viewing the erratic motion of the stars outside his viewports – had forced him to close the blast shutters.  As a result, Joker had not seen the approaching rescue ship, so hearing the mechanical voice nearly had him jumping out of his chair.   “ _Xi-rho-tau_.  You guys sure know when to make an entrance!  We came really close to being nothing but space dust… the core is in emergency shut-down, so engines and helm control are offline.  We have damage control teams attempting repairs, but are having trouble accessing the space from within, due to severe structural damage.  We could seriously use your help!”

“Understood.  _Normandy_ _’s_ erratic movements make docking impossible, so we will send platforms to aid in reestablishing directional control.  Minimal stabilization repairs will then be performed so _Xi-rho-tau_ may safely escort _Normandy_ to a repair facility.”

_I just want control of my fucking ship back!  Could really give a damn about any repair facility right now!_ Maintaining his self-control, Joker replied, “Thanks, _Xi-rho-tau_.  Just make us stop this god-awful spinning!”

\-------------------------------

After Liara had contacted Legion, the Consensus quickly agreed that reassigning a ship which was being held in reserve because it _might_ be needed in the fight with the creators to, instead, provide immediate and necessary aid to the _Normandy_ was the correct decision – organic lives were at stake.  SILC repair platform Technikus – ‘Nik’ to the many Turians he had assisted on Palaven after the Reaper War – had been assigned the task.  The SILC cruiser had arrived to find _Normandy_ adrift with engines and outer hull as cold as the airless void through which it tumbled, out of control.  After repeated attempts were made to speak with the ship’s crew, they had finally made contact and a plan to board the ship and make repairs sufficient to regain directional control had been implemented.

As soon as the SILC pilots had guided their ship into a matching rotation with the Spectre vessel, a six-platform repair team led by Nik utilized jetpacks to fly across the 225 meters separating the ships.  Rather than enter through the port side airlock or the hanger bay, Nik opted for the more direct approach; he simply flew up to the hole in the ship’s ventral surface.  Spreading his limbs wide, he slowed his velocity to a near halt as he gently touched down on the outer hull just forward of the ragged breach.  Once all of his accompanying platforms were mag-locked to the hull, Technikus called the cruiser.  “Assigned rescue and repair platforms have all arrived at the _Normandy_.  This platform will enter to access damage.”

Nik pushed through the sparkling kinetic barrier to find himself inside a devastated machinery compartment. Being connected with the Consensus, he energized several high-intensity lights on his chassis and slowly turned a full circle in order to share his view of the damaged area.

Upon receiving authorization from the Consensus, he had two of his companions enter through the hull breach; directing them to assist, the three platforms utilized their mechanical strength to remove torn and broken piping, tanks, electrical conduits and fiber-optic cabling.  All of the recovered debris was then passed through the hull breach to their waiting companions outside, who surrounded the entire mass with an energized kinetic bubble and anchored it to the ship’s hull.  Once they had made a bit of progress forward, Nik directed the remaining three platforms to enter and begin working their way aft.  It was tedious work – they had to utilize a great deal of caution in order to keep from causing any more damage than had already occurred.

\-------------------------------

**_Neema_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189**

As the battle dragged into its second day, Spectre Williams had to deal with the unpleasant reality that the strength of her squad was down to only four of six Humans and four of eight Krogan… and they were tired.  She knew they would need help before the final assault on Gerrel’s command center, so decided to contact Aralakh C-Squad.  “Hey Rogue?  You guys staying busy down there?”

“Not really.  They’ve given up on trying to attack us… must have decided it was simpler to vent atmosphere and blow us out into space.”  Rogant Grack growled angrily, “That has happened several times, enough so we’ve had to use up a lot of our reserve air.  We won’t be doing any emergency evacs… we’re here ‘til we either win or die trying.”

“Then I have a solution for you.”  Ashley blew out a heavy breath.  “We came up the port side but ended up having to move to the mid-ship passageway for better maneuverability and less chance of getting blown into space by an intentional hull breach.  Because of that, we’re meeting a hell of a lot more resistance.  We could really use some fresh warriors, so I’m transmitting our current coordinates.  Wanna get out of that hanger and come join the fight?”

Rogue laughed aloud and punched his weapon-free fist into the closest bulkhead.  “Now you’re speaking my language, Spectre.  I know protecting our exit is important… but only if we lose, which I don’t plan on doing, so… we’ll be there as soon as we can!”  After relaying the news to his team, Charlie squad jogged nearly the entire way, quite literally running over… and through… a couple of Quarian patrols who had the bad luck of finding themselves in the Krogan’s chosen route to the rendezvous point.

With the arrival of the reinforcements, a hopeful smile found its way onto Spectre Williams’ face.  “Good to have you join us…  Time to get this show back on the road!”

\-------------------------------

Having been monitoring the chatter, Bau had been continuously discussing multiple options with Tali, who had an intimate knowledge of how Quarian ship systems worked.  After a somewhat lengthy conversation and an unknown, large number of unsuccessful exploratory hacks, Tali finally beamed with success.  “I got in!”

“Job well done, Tali!”  Bau grinned ear-to-ear.  “I imagine Spectre Williams will be thrilled with this!”  Tapping a few icons on the haptic interface on his omnitool, he placed the call.

“What have you got, Jon?  Something wrong?”  Ashley sounded winded, jogging along in the middle of her mostly-Krogan pack.

“Definitely not, Spectre Williams.”  Ash could hear the excitement in Bau’s voice as he continued, “Quite the opposite, matter of fact!  Tali found a ‘back door’ to interior ship controls… an electronic path which will enable us to open and close doors, disable or activate lifts… all sorts of useful things to aid your progress through the ship, while interfering with that of those attempting to slow or stop you.”

“Whoa!”  Ashley nearly stopped in her surprise and was almost run over by Strax Jrugas in the process.  “Hold on everyone… take a quick break.”  When everyone was crouched around her, she resumed speaking with Bau. “That sounds promising.  Talk to me.”

Ashley’s expression turned from skeptical to pure joy as Bau explained how Tali would be able to shut down all the hatchways and elevators... opening only those needed as Ashley’s team progressed through the ship. 

“She can also seal rooms and selectively limit oxygen to certain areas...”  Bau paused for a second, then shrugged and continued, “Either cut off the supply of air completely and kill them, or divert just enough halothane from the surgery center to mix it in and ensure everyone takes a nap… or, at the very least, can’t put up a fight while you pass through the area.”

“That could save a lot of relatively innocent Quarian lives.”  Williams questioned, “And what’s halothane?  I’m assuming some type of sleeping gas?”

“Precisely… one that is extremely effective on Quarians.”

“Well, shit.”  Ashley suddenly sounded exasperated and a bit angry.  “Why didn’t we do this at the start of this op?  _Before_ we lost six of our teammates?”

“Apologies, Williams.”  Bau said the words, but sounded not the least bit contrite as he continued, “But, we did not know the option existed until we got here and, even then, were unsure it could even be done… at least, without detection… so they didn’t simply wrest the controls back from us.  We did not want to give you false hope, and it has taken us this long to determine the necessary steps to accomplish this feat.”

Somewhat appeased, Ashley answered, “I suppose better late than never.  Do it… and then talk us through the correct path so we don’t miss any gates and walk into the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Tali cut in, “Ashley.  You’ll have to be careful when you finally do arrive at the Bridge.  It has its own self-contained systems, so it’s impossible to mix any halothane into the air supply.  I also very much doubt I can hack into the controls to shut down that air supply without someone noticing and locking me out… unless, maybe, I join you and try an on-site, hardwire patch into the system.”

“Absolutely not, Tali.  Shepard would kill me if anything happened to you, and we can’t afford the time or the risk to come and get you.”  Ashley willingly accepted the bad with the good and continued, “Don’t worry about it.  Just get us there and we’ll take care of the rest!”

\-------------------------------

**_Moreh_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189**

“Shepard.”  Spectre T’Dura’s voice came over the comm.  “Engineer Telas has completed his task and all weapons and defenses, external and internal, are temporarily down.  I do not know how long we will be able to hold this position, so I suggest you do not hesitate in the completion of our mission.”

“We’re already in position, Moises, just waiting on your go, with nothing but a few Marines between us and the Bridge…  No matter how this turns out, you have my thanks for your help.” 

T’Dura’s response was short and sweet.  “Save it for the victory party, Shepard.”

“Roger that!”  Shepard gave an ‘at the ready’ gesture to her team and they all prepared for the charge as their team leader terminated the call.  Turning her head to scan her squad, Shepard grinned.  “Alright.  It’s now or never… stun grenades first, then move fast, people.”  She pulled a grenade off her own belt and pulled the release, keeping the activator switch compressed.  “Toss on two.”

With the grenades in the air, Shepard pulled on her biotics and growled, “Try to keep up, kids!”  Entering into her trademark ‘crash and blast,’ Shepard bolted forward in a flash of blue.  Jatok, Bek and Grunt immediately formed a charge line, with Harley Creath and Sella Temi providing supporting cover fire and biotic assists.  The five Marines at the end of the passage never truly stood a chance but bravely fought to the last man.

“Such a waste of life,” grumped Shepard, before turning to her squad.  “Don’t get sloppy… quick energy drink, and rev all shields, barriers and jammers to full…”  She made eye contact with each one.  “… and be sure to keep them that way until this is over.  I don’t trust Xen in the slightest; there’s no telling what she’ll have prepared for a close-combat situation… including that damned signal they used against the Turian outposts.  Okay?”  She paused, then grinned.  “Let’s do this.”

When the hatch opened, the remaining six went through, spread quickly into a tight-formation arc and went down on one knee; their barriers and shields provided overlapping coverage.  The armored heavy fighters laid down a barrage of weapons fire as Shepard and Sella Temi rained a biotic-combo attack against the bridge crew.

Finally, after watching and waiting as every single one of her guards and Bridge crew gave their lives in an attempt to protect her, Xen screamed in frustration from her hiding place behind one of the Bridge control panels.  “I surrender, Spectre!  There is no need for this!  You’ve won.  Isn’t that enough?”

With no one left to shoot back at them, Shepard signaled a cease-fire; speaking into the amazingly abrupt silence, she asked, “Enough?  I gave you one pass already… and this is where we ended up.  Do you honestly expect me to give you another?”

“Yes, actually; I do.  Because no matter what has ever happened to you, you have always been an honorable leader.”  Confident in her words, Xen slowly stood from her place of concealment so they could see her.  “I have faith you would never kill an unarmed enemy who has surrendered… no matter how much you may hate them.  As evidence, your altercations with Ka’hairal Balak come to mind.  I know you will simply turn me over to the Council… which will then likely hand me off to my own people, for Quarian justice.”  As she stopped speaking, she raised two closed fists out before her.  “Come.  Arrest me, Shepard… turn me over to the Council, as I know you will.”

A growl sounded off Shepard’s right shoulder and she turned to look at its source.  Grunt stared at the Admiral, a vicious gleam in his eyes.  “I want to say don’t do it, Shepard.  Just kill her and be done… but I know she’s right.  You are… honorable.  Sometimes, to your own detriment, I think.”

Shepard actually chuckled, knowing their fight was done.  “Maybe so, Grunt, but I don’t know any other way to live my life.”  She approached Xen, pulling a pair of biotic-suppression cuffs out of her supply pack as she walked, simply because that was what she always carried. 

As the Spectre stepped close enough to slap the cuffs onto the Quarian’s wrists and grab hold of the connecting cable, Xen smiled.  “Thank you, Shepard.  I do hope you understand I plan to never spend even a single moment in any type of prison; Council, Quarian, or otherwise.” 

Xen’s thumb slid down and Shepard immediately recognized the end of a small, concealed detonator, popping out from the Admiral’s closed fist, the thumb no longer keeping it compressed.  Before she could move or even shout a warning, Shepard was blown back by an immensely powerful explosion – Daro’Xen having fitted herself with an explosive vest, easily hidden beneath her ever-present enviro-suit.

Reminiscent of the Reaper attack on the Defense Committee on Earth, Shepard flew backwards, smashing into the wall along with her team, as they were all tossed like ragdolls against the aft bulkhead near the Flight Deck entrance.  Fortunately, everyone still had their shields powered up and barriers activated at full strength; their lack of trust in Xen was the only thing that kept any of them from suffering serious injuries… or dying.

Even so, each of them was injured to some degree, with Shepard – having taken the brunt of the blast head-on – injured worse than any of the others on her team.  After a quick scan, Jatok first called for assistance and then, while they waited for T’Dura to arrive, relayed the information on Xen’s unexpectedly sudden demise to both the _Destiny Ascension_ and the _Knight Shade_. 

\-------------------------------

**_Neema_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189**

With the addition of Tali’s and Bau’s assistance, the _Normandy_ team’s forward progress was amazingly fast and the group of sixteen soon found themselves outside the hatch of the Neema’s Battle Command Bridge.  “Tali.  What should we expect in here?”

“I haven’t seen any anomalies so far, so I would expect it to be no different than the original briefing, Ashley.”  Tali paused before issuing the reminder.  “There will be six security Marines, six systems controllers, the ship’s captain, Zaan’Shar, and his executive officer, Kael’Shiro… along with Admiral Gerrel and his personal guard, Ken’Fennas, for a total of sixteen.”

Ashley smiled and recalled the rest of Tali’s original briefing before they had left the _Normandy_.  “All of whom are trained Marines with at least ten years of actual combat experience… not including any messengers who may happen to be there.  Got it, Tali… and thank you.”

“Just be careful, Commander,” Tali responded quietly.  “That’s all the thanks I desire.”

“Roger that.”  Ashley turned to her oversized squad, large in more ways than one, and grinned.  “Alright… we’re on the doorstep of our goal and I refuse to let pride get in my way, here.”  She focused on the Aralakh Bravo and Charlie Squad leads.  “You guys are the battle tanks… the expert assault teams so, unless you object, I’m more than happy to let you lead the charge through the hatchway, with only one exception – Admiral Han’Gerrel.  He’s mine.  Buzz?  Grack?”

Both responses came back at once.  “My pleasure, Ash!”  “Thought you’d never ask, Williams!”

“Alright then.”  Shaking her head with a quiet chuckle, the Spectre queued her comm and continued, “We’re standing by… whenever you’re ready and able, Tali.”

“Understood, Spectre.  Door should be opening in 3… 2… 1…”  The hatch split open at the center, the two halves vanishing quickly into their respective side pockets.  Immediately, both Buzz and Grack stormed in and spread out in opposite directions from the doorway, followed quickly by the rest of their squads.

It took only a moment or two for the security Marines inside to realize they were in a fight for their lives.  While the rest of the Quarians were hastily taking cover behind consoles and attempting to fire at their enormous opponents, the Marines first crouched then went prone wherever they had happened to be standing.  The Krogan – happy they did not have to take any prisoners here – laid down a withering fire, killing all six of the Quarian Marines before they had the slightest chance to make any difference in the final outcome.

Ship’s captain Zaan’Shar, perhaps hoping to prevent a slaughter, threw up his hands from behind a navigation console.  “Cease fire! … Cease fire!  We surrender!  We…”

His words were chopped off mid-sentence by a pistol-shot; his arms fell, followed by his suddenly lifeless body collapsing to the deck, to lie motionless in a slowly spreading pool of his own blood.

“You miserably weak Bosh’tet, I will not allow you to steal my victory!”

Ashley recognized the voice as belonging to the Quarian she loathed more than anyone else in the galaxy.  “Han’Gerrel vas Neema!  Surrender… now, or you will die here, along with these other misguided souls!”

Han’Gerrel hid his surprise at hearing a Human female’s voice, realizing immediately he was most likely facing the captain of the _Normandy_.  “Ah, Captain Ashley Williams.  Where will you go once you are done here today?” he asked, his tone mocking.  “Your ship has been hit by a pair of Xen’s cleverly engineered missiles; _Normandy_ is dead, careening off into the void as we fight here.”

_Son of a bitch!  The fucking bastard already caused Westie’s death_ …   _How many more on my ship are dead!?_   Shoving those thoughts aside, she motioned to Rogant Grack, indicating he was to begin circling to his right as Strax Jrugas was to move left.  Once the pair were in position, she held up a flashbang grenade.  Using her fingers, she silently counted down three… two… one, then tossed the grenade as hard as she could.  As soon as hers and the several others exploded nearly simultaneously among and behind the entrenched Quarians, she was up and moving, using her N7 Piranha to cut down each of the Quarians that staggered to their feet, including Kael’Shiro, the ship’s XO, and Ken’Fennas, the admiral’s personal guard.

Han’Gerrel stood from behind a purpose-built blockade, elbows bent at nearly ninety degrees, hands open and palms facing toward Ashley.  “I surrender, Spectre Williams!”  At the look he received from Ashley, he rapidly continued.  “I am unarmed, Spectre.  Rules of war dictate you must take me into custody…  I believe Council justice will be much more _civilized_ than you and your barbarians will ever think of being.”

Suspecting a trap, Ashley kept her distance from the treacherous bastard as she ejected the nearly spent clip from her Piranha and jacked a fresh one into its place.  “Han’Gerrel, you are a grand-standing liar.  I don’t trust you to speak the truth, ever.”  With a look and a slight shake of her head, she stopped Grack and Jrugas from moving towards him.

“Your personal feelings don’t really matter, do they?”  He sneered at her and continued, “Unless, of course, you opt to simply murder me, claiming ‘Spectre Authority’.”  The disgust on the pasty face behind the clear mask was plain to see as he droned on.  “Legalized murder… assassins for hire. That’s all the Spectre Corps really is… all those ‘best-of-the-best’ lies.  You… all of you… are just a bunch of hypocritical cutthroats, the entire lot of you!  You kill for convenience because you lack sufficient intelligence to come up with a more civil solution.

“Enough, Gerrel!” Ashley snapped angrily.  “You’re a fine one to be calling me names, when the only reason we’re staring at each other with our guns ready is because you and Xen want to enslave an entire race of beings!”

Gerrel lost his cool, shouting back, “They are machines, Spectre!  Soulless machines, that we created to use as tools!  They are not our fucking children! They are property!  Property of the Quarian people!  They have always been our property!”

“You are really pathetic.”  Ashley actually laughed.  “You’ll say anything in your sad attempt to save your own life… but this is one crime you won’t be walking away from, Admiral.  We barbarians have a saying…   _‘You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility_. _’_  No matter what you do, that’s coming back to rest squarely on your shoulders, you fucking Pyjak!”

Moving almost faster than the eye could follow, Gerrel leaped across the intervening space to grapple with this insufferable human female.  Ashley had seen many Quarians, Tali included, with a handle protruding from one or the other of their boots.  She had always assumed it was some little straight-blade… a ceremonial knife, at best… certainly not a serious weapon that could be used for assaulting someone.  Han’Gerrel was attempting to prove her assumption incorrect, thrusting the dagger at her side in an attempt to stab her.

Ashley was suddenly extremely thankful for Shepard’s recommendation that she acquire a new armor liner to go with her new job as a Spectre – a state-of-the-art, blade resistant, combat mesh.  Feeling Gerrel’s blade press unsuccessfully against the mesh between her front and back plates, she ground out, “You miserable bastard!” 

She caught a flash of motion out of the corner of her eye; Grack was starting to move to intervene, but Ashley had already worked her left arm and hand up to the point she could grab the Quarian by his throat.  Squeezing with all her strength, she managed to push him away just enough to bring her N7 Piranha into the gap between them.

Pulling the trigger, Ashley ground out through gritted teeth, “This is for Alliance Corporal Bethany Westmoreland!”  She was surprised when the shotgun fired twice in quick succession before she could release the trigger. “Rot in Hell for your crimes!” 

Gerrel staggered away from her, the look on his face morphing from insane anger to shocked realization.  Nerveless fingers dropped the dagger as he looked down at the massive holes in the front of his enviro-suit.  He looked back up at Ashley as his legs failed, and he slowly collapsed where he stood. 

“Oh, fuck.”  Ashley stared at the corpse on the floor before her.  Han’Gerrel vas Neema was now lying dead on the deck, along with the rest of his co-conspirators.  “Probably shouldn’t have done that.”

“Hell with that, Spectre.”  Grack stood at her side and chuckled.  “I always thought Quarians were tougher than Humans.  I might have to rethink that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.”Byron Dorgan, Former US Senator and Congressman, North Dakota
> 
> “Cry 'Havoc!,' and let slip the dogs of war.”  Kudos to reader/reviewer **Artman King**  for bringing this to mind.  Originally from **William Shakespeare** 's  **Julius Caesar** , it is a phrase spoken by  **Mark Antony**  in Act 3, Scene 1.
> 
>  


	12. The Cost of Victory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
> RCS - Reaction Control Systems
> 
> SILC - Synthetic Intelligence Life Codes (previously known as Geth)
> 
> XO - Executive Officer

 

 **_Normandy SR2_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189**

SILC repair platform Technikus had led his team of rescue and repair platforms deep into the machinery spaces of the Spectre vessel _Normandy_ , with the main goal being to restore directional maneuverability to the stricken vessel.  During their initial damage survey, they discovered that only two of the several chill-tanks had survived unscathed and remained full of fuel – but the piping connecting them to the reaction control systems (RCS) had been severely damaged.  Only the emergency fuel shutoff valves had kept the essential fuel from being unintentionally discharged into the void of space.

They had worked quickly, salvaging the good sections from all the damaged piping to assemble a single new pipeline to reconnect the RCS with the necessary fuel.  Once the temporary repairs were complete, Nik analyzed the piping running from the chill-tanks to the RCS central distribution node one last time before pressurizing the system.  Satisfied, he called the ship’s pilot over the emergency comms channel.  “Jeff Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.   This is SILC platform Technikus.  You may refer to me as ‘Nik’.  SILC repair platforms have installed a temporary fuel pipeline for _Normandy’s_ reaction control system.”  Nik paused for a moment, then continued.  “My attitude sensor detects _Normandy_ is still on an uncontrolled trajectory.  Please restart the ship’s flight computer at this time.  This should initialize the automatic attitude control programs to stabilize the ship’s trajectory.”

It took several moments for Joker to respond.  “You’ve got it… Nik.”  Joker called up a pair of haptic interfaces and restarted the ship’s flight computer; after directing it to halt the ship’s tumbling roll, he said, “Nik, flight computer has begun stabilizing the ship.  Have you met up with our damage control teams since you boarded?”

“Negative, Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.  We have not met any ship’s crew.”  The pause was not long enough for Joker to ask the question that burned in his mind as Technikus continued, “As soon as the gyrations have been controlled, SILC cruiser _Xi-rho-tau_ will approach and dock with _Normandy_ to make final repair arrangements.”

“How long do you think it will take to make repairs to our main drive core?”

“That is beyond our capabilities here in the void.  _Normandy_ requires the services of what Humans refer to as a space dock… a shipyard.  SILC cruiser _Xi-rho-tau_ will escort _Normandy_ to such a facility.”  Nik paused for a moment, then said, “We are currently securing loose debris to prevent further inadvertent damage.”

Joker didn’t have snappy comebacks for any of Nik’s comments; he knew they were in some seriously deep shit.  Since intership comms were still down, he had not heard from Cortez or the teams since Adams had overridden the main computer core to allow access to the flight deck. 

Have you?…”  _Damn.  Do I really want to know?_   “Nic…  You said you haven’t met any crew… but have you found any bodies?  Our engineers, Donnelly and Manos, would have been working in the engineering control section above the subdeck where that missile struck.”

“Negative, Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.  We have not come into contact with any organics…”   Technikus paused briefly as the Consensus considered the new information.  “… but we understand their importance to you.  As the _Normandy’s_ trajectory is being stabilized, we will direct our efforts towards accessing the eezo core and control section, in an attempt to locate your missing crew.”

“Thank you, Nik.”  As the comms fell silent, Joker suddenly realized he had never felt so alone in his entire life.  He had grown up isolated, compliments of Vrolik Syndrome, but since he had joined the crew of the Normandy, he had become quite accustomed to Edi’s constant presence.  _Accustomed, hell.  You love and miss her, you idiot_.  Edi had left to accompany Greg Adams in his efforts to get past the damaged sections and Joker hadn’t heard from her since.  _Bet they had to crawl through the access tubes,_ came the unexpected thought, making him grin.

Almost immediately, he remembered Edi’s joke during the Collector Campaign, when he had to crawl through those tubes himself.  _She was yanking my chain, saying she enjoyed seeing Humans on their knees.  I wonder if I should remind her_ …  The thought trailed off as he also remembered what she had done when he had performed a cold restart of the computer at the end of the war.  _I’m still not totally convinced she was joking about her superiority!_

\-------------------------------

 **_Moreh_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189**

Hearing Hailot Jatok’s call for aid, Moises looked to Daeto.  “Telas.  Give me a ship-wide broadcast channel.  Now!”

After making a few keystrokes, he nodded to the Spectre as her omnitool chimed.  “Attention, all _Moreh_ personnel.  This is Spectre T’Dura, representing the Galactic Council.  Admiral Daro’Xen is dead.  Your primary Bridge is destroyed and Turian Blackwatch currently holds the Secondary Command Center.  Those of you who remain loyal to the Council but were forced into servitude will be pardoned if you stand down _immediately_ , return to your quarters and lock your doors.  Your fight is over.  Just to be clear, any continuing the fight will be summarily executed without hesitation; we will not be taking any prisoners.  This is nonnegotiable and the countdown begins now.”

Terminating the broadcast, she looked at her squad and directed, “Kaddi…  You’re with me and we’re going to the main Bridge on Deck 1, right now.  Captain Tanni.  You are in charge of this position to ensure my orders are followed.  Lock down any or all doorways, hatches and emergency bulkheads as required to prevent hostile Quarian movement.  Understood?”

Livos looked at her and answered with a quick nod.  “Go.  Help Shepard and her squad… No more die today, Spectre.  Not one.”

\-------------------------------

Shepard groaned, feeling like a heavy weight was sitting on her chest.  Her eyes opened slowly, and she recognized the rather large hand of Grunt… pinning her in place.  She attempted to glance around, wanting to check on the rest of the team, but a firm hand was gripping her chin, keeping her from moving her head.

“Hold still.”  T’Dura was also sitting next to her, using a small stitching wand from an emergency medical kit to close a huge gash across her left eyebrow.  “That was stupid, Shepard.  You should have executed her and been done with it.  Your sense of honor was used against you and almost got your whole team killed.  You’re young and you’ll learn…  As a Spectre, sometimes you have to do such things to keep others safe.”

“Humans have an old saying… hindsight is 20/20.”

“Which is as antiquated as your kindness to an enemy; with the weapons now available, you can no longer take those risks.”  T’Dura sat back on her haunches and added, “That’s all I can do for you, here.  We need to get you to your Doctor Yandle, as you have a severe head trauma that he must attend to.  Honestly, I am rather surprised you are awake so soon.”

“That’s because my Battlemaster is Urdnot… and tough, as any Krogan should be.”  Grunt flashed her a huge, toothy grin.  “Heh, heh, heh…  No Quarian will ever kill her _that_ easily!”

“Easily?”  T’Dura looked at the young Krogan in disbelief.  “That blast completely destroyed the Bridge… and picked up every one of you and threw you across the room like you were nothing more than children’s toys!”  She shook her head and turned to the Drell who had accompanied her.  “Kaddi…  Can you please call for an evac shuttle from the _Knight Shade_?”

Looking back to Shepard, Moises smiled.  “Don’t get me wrong.  You did good, Spectre, but you’re done for the day.  I’ll send a report to the Council… then, Captain Vidinos and I will handle the clean-up operation here.  Hopefully, with both Xen and Gerrel dead, the rest will stand down and we can hand the whole mess over to the surviving Quarian Admirals and the Council Fleet.”

“Thanks, Mo.”  Shepard sighed softly and closed her eyelids against the overly bright Bridge lighting, which was hurting her eyes.  “I _am_ a bit the worse for wear at the moment, so I’m quite content to return to my own ship.  Will you see the rest of my crew safely back to the _Knight Shade_ when you’re done here?”

“Absolutely, Spectre Shepard.”  Moises smiled and very gently squeezed her shoulder.  “I’ll escort them home personally… and see _you_ back to Thessia before we part ways.”

\-------------------------------

Liara and Derek met the shuttle as soon as it touched down within the _Knight Shade’s_ hangar bay.  Liara sighed in happy relief as the door opened to reveal an upright, walking and talking Samantha Shepard.  She had felt it through the link, but her _siame_ tended to hide things from her that she knew would upset her, so she always felt better when she could see for herself.

Stepping out carefully, Shepard accepted Liara’s assistance to help steady her.  Squeezing Liara’s arm in a gentle, silent hello, she looked at Derek and said, “Just a sound rap on the old noggin, Doc.  I’ve got a concussion… pretty bad one, based on the scans.”  She felt Liara’s loving warmth spread through the link as she added, “So, I’m happy to submit myself to your care and let Spectre T’Dura finish clean-up on the _Moreh_.  She’s quite capable, and I’m sure the Council isn’t going to sit idle for long, not with military ops drawing to a close.  I’ll need to be ready to go when the call comes in, asking me to report to the _Destiny Ascension_.”

\-------------------------------

 **_Destiny Ascension_ ** **, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 4 Jan 2189**

Matriarch Lidanya stood on the Bridge and glanced at her communications officer, Sheya Selasia.  “Do you have the necessary frequencies plugged in for the full fleet broadcast?”

“Yes, Matriarch.”  The technician offered up a grin.  “Both the Citadel Fleet and the entirety of the Quarian Heavy Fleet will hear the wonderful news we have for them.”

Her eyes shifted to the Defensive Systems Coordinator.  “Keep our barriers and shields at full power, Ryana.  What we are about to say may not sit well with the Gerrel loyalists, so we’ll need to be prepared for however they may respond.”  She huffed out a little laugh.  “That’s why I prebriefed all our Captains first… so they don’t do anything stupid.”

“Ready when you are, Matriarch.”

Lidanya gave a nod.  “Waiting on the green, Shey.”  As the broadcasting light shifted to a pale green, the Matriarch began.  “Attention, all Quarian vessels.  This is Matriarch Lidanya, Captain of the _Destiny Ascension_ and Commander of the Council Fleet.  You are ordered to immediately cease all hostile actions and stand down.  We have taken control of both the _Neema_ and the _Moreh_.  Admirals Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen are dead.  You all know Spectre Shepard talked Admiral Gerrel down from disaster during the War for Rannoch…  Now, the SILC Fleet once more stands in a position to destroy you, this time with the blessing, and assistance, of the Galactic Council and its Fleet.  All those who immediately stand down will be pardoned in full; those who do not, will be destroyed… in full.  There will be no negotiating because there is no middle ground.  Stand down and be pardoned… or continue this ill-fated quest and die.  Either choice is your right as free citizens, but please… I urge you all to make the correct decision and stand down.  The Migrant Fleet and Rannoch need you…  _We_ need you.  Lidanya, out.”

The Matriarch stood on the Bridge, shoulders squared, and hands clasped tightly behind her back as she stared out the forward viewscreen.  She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and a thankful smile slowly spread across her face as weapons fire trailed off to nothing and barriers and shields began to wink out across the entire field of combatants within her view; even the remaining three Andromeda Initiative vessels, the _Nalotir,_ _Sondaj_ , and _Nyocha,_ disabled their stealth drives and appeared before them.  She bowed her head and whispered softly, “Thank the Goddess.  Peace has hope once more.”

\-------------------------------

 **_Normandy SR2_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 4 Jan 2189**

Edi – by dint of bracing her foot against the bulging access door – had been able to peel one of the five panels far enough out of the way to enable Greg Adams to shine a hand-held light further around the control compartment.  He had shouted Donnelly’s and Mano’s names a number of times as the team continued their attempts to get through the hatch; utilizing a hydraulic spreader was beginning to slowly achieve results when Edi once again demanded quiet.

After listening intently for several seconds, she faced Greg Adams and Steve Cortez.  “I know we have been boarded by SILC repair units, Sirs, and I just heard a partial conversation from a unit named Technikus.”  She paused for several more seconds, then continued, “It would appear they were able to complete a temporary repair to the fuel piping; the flight control sub-functions have been re-initialized, allowing the RCS to regain control of _Normandy’s_ directional stability.”

Greg was encouraged by her report, asking, “What about other functions, Edi?  It would be nice to have artificial gravity again.”

“I believe the SILC platforms are only here to stabilize the ship so it can be rigged for towing.  More extensive repairs may have to wait.”  A loud clanging sound, followed by the clatter of several heavy grates, interrupted her.  “They are very close.”

\-------------------------------

Nik, with the help of two of the accompanying repair platforms, used the augmented strength of all their mechanical platforms to shove upwards against a buckled deck grate, jammed in place by the displacement of the adjacent panels.  As the trio were unable to hold onto the grate from underneath, the instant it was free from the adjacent panels, the nearly weightless panel flew upwards, only to be halted with a loud, ringing sound as it hit the overhead panels in the eezo core chamber.  Rebounding away, it spun as it descended back to the deck, dislodging several of the nearby grates with a clatter of metal-on-metal.

Nik climbed into the darkened compartment and moved forward, towards the damaged bulkheads of the control compartment.  He was at the end of the passage when he abruptly stopped.  A Human body was lying against the bulkhead, eyes open and staring into the dark.  His head was resting at an odd angle; Nik accessed Consensus knowledge of Human anatomy and quickly concluded this man had suffered a broken neck.  Directing one of the two units that had accompanied him, the pair gently picked up the man’s body and moved him out of the path they would no doubt be using for the next several hours.

Moving in order to cast his lights about the darkened compartment, he spotted another body lying in a crumpled heap adjacent to the port side access hatch.  Directing the other two units, he had them relocate the man’s body adjacent to that of the first man.  He would leave it to the Human crew members to identify them.  He then moved to the starboard side access hatch, beyond which he could detect voices and see moving shadows cast by work lights.

Keying his transmitter, he said, “Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.  I am standing within the engineering controls compartment.”  Before Jeff could ask, Nik continued, “We have found two crewmen… unfortunately, both are deceased.”  As he waited for an answer, he tasked the other platforms with getting the damaged door sections removed so the Humans could enter.

“Well, that’s just fucking great, Nik!”  Joker answered angrily, upset by what he considered to be a heartless delivery of the sad news.  _They’re not Edi, asshole.  They don’t have the emotion algorithms she does._   He took a calming breath before continuing, “Sorry about that… just not the news I was hoping to get.  How in Hell am I supposed to relay that info to the damage control teams who have been working their asses off all night to get to those guys?”

“I will inform them for you, Moreau-Flight Lieutenant.  They are working directly outside the damaged starboard access hatch.”

“Thanks, Nik.”  Joker leaned back in his chair.  _Gabby’s five or six months pregnant!… how in fucking Hell is she supposed to deal with this?  Got through the entire war in one piece, only to kicked in the gut by the damned Quarians!  Our fucking allies!  Shit!_

\-------------------------------

Edi and Greg were surprised when the door segments began to be peeled back away from their position outside; even with Edi’s head’s up regarding the SILC approach, Greg actually jumped at the sight of Technikus’ work lamps and the sound of his voice.  After speaking with the repair unit, Greg was inundated with a nearly overwhelming sense of guilt.

Edi could see the change in his attitude but decided to not comment.  She knew he would have been in engineering with his crewmen, so most likely would have died alongside them.  She returned her attention to the destroyed hatch as the last major segment was pulled free.  She stood aside as Adams and Cortez brushed by Nik to inspect the damages and see to their crewmates.

Edi addressed Nik, saying, “Thank you for assisting us today.  Have you categorized the damages to the ship?  Will we be able to proceed to a repair facility under our own power?”

The SILC platform inspected Edi for several moments before responding.  “Enhanced Defense Intelligence unit combined with a Cerberus created synthetic infiltration unit.  Known by organics as Edi.  To answer your inquiries, yes… and no.  We have ascertained the damages to the engineering section.  The cumulative effects of the explosion are too severe for a temporary repair to be of any use.  This vessel will need to be escorted to a nearby repair facility at a velocity substantially less than FTL.” 

\-------------------------------

 **_Destiny Ascension_ ** **, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 5 Jan 2189**

“Spectre Shepard.”  Tevos’ worried smile gave way to a genuine grin as the woman – looking quite refreshed – walked into the Council conference room under her own power.  “It is very good to see you recovering so quickly.  We were… concerned when we heard what transpired.”

Shepard had to work at concealing her smirk, knowing there was no ‘we’ about it.  Tevos had personally been anxious about her well-being and had contacted Liara on her private channel multiple times over the previous day to check on Samantha’s progress.  “Thank you, Councilor, but I assure you I’ll be fine.  A bit tired, yet, but healing nicely.”  She suddenly grinned and added, “But, then again, perhaps I _should_ complain about how bad I feel.  It might get me an extra week or two off.”

“Ah, very good.  Sense of humor indicates you have recovered well, Shepard.”  Valern actually sounded pleased.  “We have much to tell you, and there is much work yet to be done, so your health is definitely a priority, in order for you to continue monitoring this situation.”

“Situation?  I thought we were almost done here, and the politicos would be taking over.”  Shepard cocked an eyebrow and queried, “What _situation_ , exactly, will I be monitoring?”

Eri’Addan stood and dipped his head toward the Spectre.  “The required… military action… has caused significant changes in leadership, Spectre Shepard.  To lose two Admirals at the same time is not something we’ve experienced in modern history.  Not since the Morning War, which none of us here now were alive to witness.”

“And how does that affect me?”  Shepard felt a little twinge of suspicion tickling the back of her mind… and it was most definitely her sixth sense, not Liara.  “You certainly can’t expect _me_ to serve as one of your Admirals until replacements…”

She trailed off as Eri began to chuckle.  “No, Shepard.  I have too much respect for you to expect you to play politics within the Quarian Flotilla.  Admiral Tali’Zorah, however…”

“What do you want with Tali?”  Shepard’s brow knit in consternation as she waited for an answer.  “She’s a key member of my crew.”

“Admiral Xen is dead.  Even if she were not, at the very least, she would be stripped of rank and declared outcast.”  Eri shrugged.  “Who better to take over Special Projects than Tali’Zorah vas Rannoch?  She most certainly has the qualifications… and she has more than proven her dedication and faithfulness to the Quarian people… not to mention she is currently an Admiral without a home in the Fleet.  This… deficiency… must be rectified, but we cannot do so as long as she remains a member of your crew, or a member of _any_ Spectre crew.” 

“I thought she took temporary control of the _Neema_ with Len’Dazza as her XO?”  Shepard shook her head.  “Perhaps my head injury was worse than I was told, because I’m a bit confused here.  How can she be assigned to the _Moreh_ , if she’s on temporary duty aboard the _Neema_ , while still holding a full-time assignment to the _Knight Shade?_ ”

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with your cognitive abilities, Shepard…”  Councilor Addan chuckled quietly.  “… because you just summarized our current dilemma, perfectly.”

Tevos now covered her own smirk before commenting, “I believe the Spectre is being purposely obtuse, Eri, because she knows exactly what you are asking of her…”  Tevos’ smirk vanished, to be replaced by a sad frown.  “… but the idea of losing yet another member of her crew, as well as the companionship of a very dear friend, displeases her greatly.”

Called out on her reluctance, Shepard cast Tevos a scathing glance before blowing out a heavy sigh.  “Well, shit.”  In resignation, she admitted, “So, you really _are_ saying you want me to release Tali from her current position, so you can make her the head of Special Projects.  Admiral Tali’Zorah vas Moreh.”  She shook her head, continuing sadly with a shrug.  “I can’t say no.”  She then shifted her attention to cast a telling glance at Councilor Addan.  “But, neither will I force her from her position on the _Knight Shade_ if she wants to stay on my crew.  I’ll need you and all of the current admirals to be there when we speak with her about this.”

“Agreed.”  Addan never hesitated in his response.  “I have great faith she’ll see the benefit to her people.  She may be reticent, but in the end, she will take the position.”

\-------------------------------

 **_Neema_ ** **, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 5 Jan 2189**

“Shepard!  It’s good to see you!”  Tali walked over quickly, barely allowing the Spectre time to get her bearings as she stepped off the shuttle before wrapping her in a tight hug.  Shepard, surprised as always by the strength in the slight Quarian’s arms, enthusiastically returned her intimate greeting.

“Good to see you too, Tali.”  Her commander smiled warmly and added, “I hear you were integral in Ashley’s plan of attack on the Command Bridge.”

“My participation was highly overrated…”  Tali waved a dismissive hand as she continued, “All I did was hack a few systems and move some air around.  Nothing I haven’t done a thousand times before.”  She let out a derisive snort and continued, “It’s not like I did any fighting.  Ashley wouldn’t let me, telling me how angry you would be if she allowed me to get hurt.  ‘Let me’?  Please!  I’m not some lost young pilgrim anymore!”

“No, you most definitely are not.”  Shepard drew a deep breath and sighed before continuing, “Which is exactly why I’m here.  A shuttle will soon be headed in this direction from the _Ascension_ …  Is there someplace a group of, say, eight or ten could meet?”

“Well, yes,” Tali answered, before asking in a suspicious tone.  “What’s going on, Shepard?”

“Two admirals are dead, Tali…”  Shepard met her eyes and continued, “That inbound shuttle will be transporting the Quarian Councilor and what remains of the Admiralty.  They are headed this way to resolve those vacancies and get you off this ship.”

“There’s more to it than that,” Tali cocked her head to the side.  “Which you aren’t willing… or aren’t allowed… to talk about yet; not until they get here.”

“You’re on the right track with the latter, Tali.”  Shepard smiled at her Quarian sister and prodded, “Come on.  Show me where we can gather a large group and we’ll get it set up for the business at hand… picking the next Captain and XO for the _Neema_.”

\-------------------------------

“By the Ancestors!”  Tali rolled her eyes in frustration over the seeming waste of the previous three hours.  “Len and I had already started this… and now _we_ have already gone through all this!  Are you seriously going to insist we start from scratch… again?”

“Just stop it… all of you.”  Shepard, who was acting as moderator, had been trying to stay out of the actual discussion of names, but was finally fed up.  Her head throbbing, her gaze wandered the table as she continued, “This petty bickering is insane.  I seriously don’t see the need to go through every one of the names… _again_.  You made a list… then cut quite a few from that list and debated pros and cons of the remaining prospects for hours… and now you want to go back to the full list and start fresh… with a new set of criteria?  Tali and Len were the ones here when all this crap went down!  Their original recommendations are still on the table, so why can’t you simply trust their judgement?” 

“It’s not that simple, Shepard!  Whoever we pick will…” Zaal’Koris started to object, but Shepard’s icy glare caused him to immediately trail off into an uncomfortable silence.

“It _is_ that simple, damn it!  The merits of each candidate are relatively equal… if there were stand-outs, either good or bad, you would have either picked or rejected them already and the decision would be made.”  The scathing looks each person received from the Spectre’s glacial-green eyes had them dipping their heads in either embarrassment or shame as she continued, “That tells me all the remaining prospects are acceptable, so, we’re going to bring someone in and interview them.  If they pass muster, give them the damned job!  Done!”  Her disgust showed in both her words and her tone.  “This isn’t the only task I have to accomplish before I can get on with my real job!  Your vacillation is unbecoming of the Admiralty!  For Gods’ sake, make a decision!”

“You are right, of course.”  Shala’Raan bowed her head and sighed.  “And we have yet more to discuss, even after the new command chain is decided for the _Neema_.”

Shepard fell silent, glancing around the table and glaring at its hesitant occupants until Zaal’Koris finally acquiesced, growling out, “Fine.  We’ll do it your way, Shepard… but so help me, if this forced decision results in things going sideways…”

“You’ll fire them and hire someone new.  Simple as that.”  Shepard shook her head in disgust.  “By the Gods!  How in the galaxy has the Migrant Fleet survived all these years?”

In a chastising tone, Tali simply said her captain’s name, “Shepard…” but it was enough to make the Spectre momentarily drop her eyes in remorse.

Bringing her eyes back to her little sister, she murmured, “I’m sorry, Tali.  I’m beyond tired and I have a splitting headache.”  She sighed in exasperation before taking a sip of water from the glass in front of her and setting it quietly back down on the table.  “Let’s get this done before the _Destiny Ascension_ leaves for the Widow system without us.”

The first person invited into the room was Captain Zeto’Ara vas Neema, the previous Operations Officer, who spent most of the conflict under house arrest with his wife, after refusing to fight against either the Council Fleet or his own people.  Following only a single round of questioning, he was surprised to be offered the position of Admiral of the Heavy Fleet.  “How is that possible?  I was part of the rebel forces!  How can you possibly trust me with this promotion?”

Raan was the first to speak.  “Because you _weren’t_ part of the rebellion… you refused to fight.  Yet, for some reason, Gerrel did not have you charged with treason and executed… and he was never known for leniency.  That speaks highly of your skill and tells me that he wanted your abilities available after the war… badly enough to risk keeping you alive.”  She paused and smiled.  “It certainly does not hurt that Len’Dazza speaks quite highly of you… including information regarding your frequent, and very public, arguments with Admiral Gerrel.  That you were willing to risk your position and possibly your life with such vocal opposition to Gerrel’s stated policies…”  She paused a moment and looked directly into his eyes.  “That is a brand of courage we desperately need in the Fleet right now, more than ever.” 

“I believe that to be the case as well, Zeto.”  Zaal’Koris nodded his agreement with Raan’s assessment.  “There is also the fact that we have known you for a long time and have never questioned your loyalty; you have always put the Flotilla before yourself.  We need to rebuild the trust of the people… and you already have that trust aboard this vessel, which means you are the obvious choice.”

Councilor Addan cleared his throat and asked, “Assuming you are willing to take the position, who on you staff would you trust as your XO?  We have a list… but I would like to get your input before we reveal our current list of choices.”

Zeto stared at the councilor in shock for a moment, blinking a couple of times in surprise.  “This is all happening rather fast for me… give me a few moments to think.”  He stood and lowered his head, staring at the deck as he paced, rather slowly, back and forth in the conference room.  “Yes.”  He suddenly stopped and looked at those still gathered at the table.  “Dani’Razo would be my first choice.”

Koris looked at his omnitool and reviewed his relatively short. rank-ordered list of remaining candidates.  “Razo is not my top choice but, if you want him, he is acceptable to me.  Raan?”

“I hold no objection, though my vote is biased.”  Raan actually smiled.  “You should all know Dani started on the _Tonbay_.  I’ve known his parents for a very long time… and known Dani since the day he was born.”

Shepard, wanting to speed the approval, simply asked, “Does anyone object?  Councilor?  Tali or Len?  He wasn’t your recommendation…”

Len shrugged.  “Maybe not, but he was in our top three, so… if that’s who Admiral Zeto’Ara wants, that’s who he gets.  Mission complete.”  He sighed in relief and started to stand.  “If we’re done here, I’ve got things to do.”

“Not quite yet, Len…”  Shepard also stood, simply to stretch.  “But I do believe we could all benefit from a quick break… and reconvene in fifteen?”

\-------------------------------

Shepard stared at the table, looking forlorn as Tali responded, “What?”  Her voice squeaked in protest.  “No… I can’t!  I’m working with Shepard…”

Shala’Raan smiled, speaking in her lilting accent.  “Which is an assignment that can be changed, Tali.  This is what you live for!  Look at what you’ve accomplished!  You may be our youngest admiral, but you’re also our most brilliant mind!  You need to do this… for yourself… and for our Fleet!”

“But Auntie ’Raan…”  Tali stopped, glancing around at all the earnest faces looking back at her… all except Shepard.  It became immediately obvious that not only had her commander and friend known this was coming, but that she fully expected Tali to say yes to the offer.  Suddenly, Tali knew she had to take the job, whether she wanted to or not, and somehow knew Shepard would be disappointed in her if she did not.  She didn’t feel ready, but a little voice in her head told her it would all come out alright.  These people were looking for her to lead Special Projects into the future and, with Xen dead, Tali couldn’t honestly think of anyone else she could recommend other than herself.  With a sigh and a shake of her head, she finally agreed.  “Fine…  It is my duty to the Fleet, so I will do it if I must.”

Tali pushed back from the table and rose from her chair, walking around until she was standing next to Shepard, laying a hand on the Spectre’s shoulder before adding, “I do have conditions, however.”

The sense of relief that had filled the room only a moment before evaporated like a puff of smoke on the wind.  Shepard stood up and turned to meet Tali’s gaze, a tentative smile appearing on her face before she asked, “And what would those be, Admiral Tali’Zorah vas Moreh?”

“That you also release Len’Dazza from your service, so that I may have him as my XO.”  She paused a moment and quickly added, “And Medica!  As she is linked to me in ways immeasurable.”

The smile faltered for only a moment as Shepard regrouped.  “I should have anticipated both of those, I suppose.”

“Yes, you should have, Captain.”  Tali’s brow had risen in surprise and she laughed quietly.  “That you did not tells me you are still tiring easily… and haven’t recovered fully from your head injury, as of yet.”

Shepard chuckled, “So, you’re purposely taking advantage of me while I’m weak?”

Tali’s soft laughter became louder and she hugged her captain, even as both struggled to not tear up.  “Absolutely, Shepard!  And I’m going to use that advantage to extract yet one additional promise from you before we part.”

“Oh?”  The corner of Shepard’s mouth tweaked up into a reluctant smirk.  “What else are you going to take from me while I’m down?”

“That if I ever get myself in a jam, no matter when or where, that you will always be the first one to rush to my aid.”  Tali forced a smile onto her face.  “Because there is no one I will ever trust more with my safety…” a brief pause, then a whisper for Shepard’s ears alone, “… or my life.”

“That’s a deal, Tali.”  Shepard squeezed her one last time and stepped back.  “But I know you won’t ever need me again, because you’re loyal and brilliant… and obviously the right person to take Special Projects into the future, Admiral Zorah.  You’ll have an entire fleet at your command… and I have complete faith in you and your abilities.”

“And _that_ has always been your greatest gift to me, Shepard… since the first day we met.  But I am compelled to point out that you’re wrong about one thing.”  Tali smiled as tears finally escaped and trickled down her cheeks.  “No matter what you think, I will always need you.  Your advice and friendship, your… faith… in me… your love.  Always.”

“Then I will do my best to always be available for you, Tali.”  Shepard dipped her head a moment and then looked back at the others, who were all trying to ignore the very personal moment between the Spectre and their newest leader of Special Projects.  “As for the rest of us, I do believe we are finished, so meeting adjourned?

It was a question, but one answered only indirectly by statements of relief and the shuffling of chairs as people pushed them back to stand up.  Addan, however, was not quite done yet.  “Shepard.  If I may?”

“What else could you possibly need right at this moment, Councilor?”  Shepard turned to him, obviously tired and ready to be done for the day.

Addan let out a little huff and smiled.  “Never mind.  Go back to the _Knight Shade_ and rest.  The _Destiny Ascension_ will be heading out, returning to Widow, shortly after we return with the shuttle.  The rest of the Council wanted a full debrief… but I’ll inform them they have to wait a few days…  That you’ll come see us after you get home and settled back in.  How’s that?”

Smiling briefly in thanks, Shepard nodded and shook his hand.  “That would be very much appreciated, Councilor.  Tell them I’ll be there first thing Monday morning, a week from today.  It’ll take me at least that long to fully recover and get all the reports written up.  Only then will I travel back to the CGC… but don’t expect us to stay more than a day.”  Her mood suddenly shifted to one much more somber.  “I imagine Liara and I will have a number of funerals to attend, on Thessia, Earth, and Tuchanka, which we’ll need to take care of before I plan any farther than that.”

“Ahh.  Yes.  There is that, isn’t there.”  Eri shook his head sadly.  “I truly am sorry… we all lost people in this one.”  He sighed heavily.  “Do you have the final tally of those lost?”

Shepard frowned and opened her omnitool, searching for the latest numbers she had gotten from Liara.  “Eight on the _Destiny Ascension_ , four from the _Normandy_ , four from Aralakh Company and two from the _Knight Shade_ for a total of eighteen friendlies from the infiltration ships.  Then, there’s the two Admirals and their Bridge staffs… and Tali and Zeto’Ara now have the task of putting together their numbers.” 

“Only eighteen?”  Addan’s face lit with a broad smile.  “That is less than we anticipated…”  Eri was quickly silenced by a scathing glance from the Spectre.

“That’s rather short-sighted, Councilor.”  Shepard’s mood had shifted suddenly from tired and sad to angry and resentful.  “That number doesn’t include the ship-to-ship combat, where both sides lost entire ships while Ashley and I fought to take down the rebel leaders.  Crews are still salvaging escape pods, but I’m pretty sure not everyone managed to escape their burning ships.  Roster checks and final figures are still being collected, but my guess?  Lives lost in this rebellion will be in the thousands, Councilor.” 

Shepard turned in disgust and walked away, Addan listening to her last words as the door to the conference room started to open for her departure.  “I just hope the end result lasts long enough to be worth all those lives.”

“Me too, Spectre.”  Addan called out one last time as Shepard left the compartment.  “Oh… I almost forgot!  Matriarch Lidanya requested you stop by the Destiny Ascension and see her before we leave the area.”

Without turning around, Shepard waved an acknowledgement as the door closed behind her, Addan barely hearing her response.  “When you get there, tell her I’m on my way.”


	13. Aftershocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
> CIC - Combat Information Center
> 
>  _Grá mo chroí_ _-_ love of my heart (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Gráim thú_ \- I love you (Gaelic)
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Kaffe -_ equatorial Thessian vine, the seeds of which are used to produce a non-alcoholic beverage of the same name, the taste described as a mix of coffee and chocolate (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
> SILC - Synthetic Intelligence Life Codes (previously known as Geth)
> 
> XO - Executive Officer

**_Destiny Ascension_ ** **, Tassrah, The Phoenix Massing – 5 Jan 2189**

The ship was huge, and Shepard hadn’t spent much time aboard, so ended up being shown to the Bridge by a young Asari lieutenant.  Before her escort could say a word, an impatient Shepard called out, “Permission to enter, Matriarch?”

Recognizing the voice, Lidanya turned, an indulgent smile on her face.  “Relax, Lieutenant Menoris… as a Spectre, Shepard outranks us all.”  Turning her eyes to the Human, she simply grinned and beckoned her in with a wave.  “Spectre Shepard.  It is my honor to have you aboard the _Destiny_ _Ascension_.  Please, come join me.”

Shepard smiled appreciatively in return and walked over, stepping up to join her on the command platform.  Standing at Lidanya’s side, she spoke quietly, “That’s one Hell of a view, Matriarch.”

“Yes, it is…”  She studied Shepard’s rather pleasing profile, as the woman’s focus remained outward, toward the stars.  “You look good, Shepard.  Tired… but good.  Are you feeling alright after that ridiculous Quarian tried to kill you?”

“Not horrible.  Bad headache at the moment, after all the Quarian bickering over personnel.”

“News travels fast… and I’ve seen the after-action listings; you, also, are going to need a few more crew to fill some unexpected vacancies.” 

As Lidanya said that, Shepard finally turned toward her, giving the Matriarch her full attention.  “And, seeing as you called me over here, you must be planning to help me fill some of them?”

“Yes… and seeing as you have so many Asari on your ship…”  Lidanya smiled as she jokingly echoed Shepard’s phrasing, obviously pleased by Shepard’s quick pick-up on her purpose.  “… I would be more than happy to give you one of my medical technicians to replace Medica.  We have a small hospital and two fully staffed, surgery-capable clinics aboard; it would be my honor to supply you with someone for the _Knight Shade_.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I plan on asking Legion for a replacement.”  Shepard smiled to soften the rejection.  “Their mobile, sterile surgery suite is something to behold.  With deploying battle squads, that can be critical… and it’s a capability I won’t give up without a fight.”

“I can understand that.” Lidanya replied, nodding in appreciation.  “Then how about a new maintenance engineer?  I realize that no one will ever come close to replacing someone like Admiral Tali’Zorah vas Moreh, but this ship holds the very best the Asari have to offer… and my prospect, Lilia T’Segos, had many years of experience aboard battle frigates before she joined us here.”

“And yet you’d be willing to let her go…”  Shepard smirked.  “But the _Ascension_ is a pretty awesome ship… so, the real question is if she’s ready and willing to leave.”

“Oh,” Lidanya laughed lightly.  “She is ready, Spectre.  She asked me for permission to apply when you were originally looking for crew, but I denied her request at that time.”  Shepard’s eyebrows rose in question, so the matriarch explained, “I would never deny one of my crew such a wonderful opportunity, but you and I had recently spoken, so I knew Admiral Zorah already had the job.”

“Ah.  That makes sense.”  Shepard thought about the offer only a moment before shrugging.  “Don’t see why not.  How about you send her over first thing in the morning to meet with Liara and me, before we leave Tassrah?”

“How about I send her with a bag, and she stays aboard… at least until you return to the CGC next Monday.”  Lidanya grinned, obviously having thought about this before she ever invited the Spectre aboard… and had planned for this very conversation.  “That way, you’ll have more than an hour-long conversation by which to judge her.”

“You’d think by now I’d know better than to try to best a Matriarch in a negotiation.”  Laughing, Shepard shook her head, the twinkle in Lidanya’s eyes making her grin as she answered.  “Sure.  Why not.  You’re certain you can do without her, especially during the repairs?  The _Knight Shade_ didn’t take near the damage that the _Ascension_ did.”

“Unfortunately, yes… the damaged area…”  Lidanya frowned as she continued, “The eight we lost were in civilian sectors.  All our military and operations systems are extremely well shielded so, even if we take extensive damage, we can keep on fighting.  That is something the Quarians had to know when they attacked, so they must have used it simply as a means to distract us.”

“You honestly believe the Heavy Fleet purposefully attacked civilians?”  Shepard’s eyes went wide with the realization.  “As a _distraction_?”  She paused and scowled angrily.  “That would be a war crime… well above and beyond the charges of Piracy.”

“Yes, it would…  So, it is good that Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen are dead.”  Lidanya’s expression was hatred incarnate as she looked at Shepard and finished, “Because I would never tolerate their actions being punished by anything less than death!  If they were not executed for their crimes, I would lose my position as captain of the _Destiny Ascension_ … after I murdered them!”

“Neither the Asari nor the Council would need to suffer from your loss, Matriarch…”  Shepard replied in answer, fully understanding the Matriarch’s anger.  “Because no matter how it played out, you would have been safe from retribution.  Either the act would have been deemed justified, or I would have pardoned you, simple as that.”

“I appreciate both your faith in the system and your statement of support, Spectre.”  Lidanya’s expression softened slightly as she continued.  “The Quarians obviously wanted us to divert assets to rescue efforts but neglected to consider how our ‘civilians’ would react to such an egregious act… with anger and immediate action.  Our civilians are all very much aware we are not simply a mobile city… that they live aboard a dreadnaught… and they immediately stepped in to take action, saving those they could and holding admirable barriers until our damage control teams could respond.  Our civilians are anything but helpless, especially with their biotics, and many hold non-combat jobs throughout the ship.  They would all feel horribly unfulfilled, otherwise.”

“That’s commendable… and, when I think about it, I imagine Human civilians aboard our fighting ships react the same way.  Most of them are as much a part of the ship as any crew member.” 

“Yes, they are.”  Lidanya smiled with pride as she nodded in agreement and thanks.  “Their actions allowed us to remain focused, though I will admit our focus _shifted_ after that cowardly attack.”

“How so?”

“We changed to a defensive stance and began using our weapons on the multitude of small ships, rather than the Quarian heavy cruisers and dreadnoughts.  ‘Swatting away the swarm” so to speak, so the rest of the fleet could focus on the big threats without being picked apart by the frigates and fighters…”  Lidanya growled, “Every ship we disabled lessened the more agile enemy fire, making it easier for our fleet to defend itself as the battle progressed; buying _you_ the time required to take down their commanders, Xen and Gerrel.”

“So, all of that scattered space debris…”  Shepard looked once more out the viewport as she continued hopefully, “… is actually a collection of fighters and small frigates?  No large ships?”

“Unfortunately, there are two cruisers and one dreadnought in that mix… but, generally, yes.”  Lidanya reached across the gap between them to lay her hand comfortingly on Shepard’s forearm.  “I have heard how the number of deaths has you greatly concerned, Spectre, so you need to understand our initial death estimates were greatly exaggerated.”  She squeezed the woman’s arm once and dropped her hand, adding, “Just so you know, our updated estimate is relatively low, compared to the twenty-thousand-plus we originally feared.”

“How low is relative, Matriarch?”  Shepard’s shoulders sagged with the burden of sorrow, knowing the number still had to be high.

“Less than eight thousand at this point.”  Lidanya sighed and, deciding it was time to steer away from such a morbid subject, returned to the discussion at hand.  “Anyway… we have digressed to a rather unpleasant topic.  I merely meant to explain that Lilia is a battle systems technician, who could provide only biotic augmentation during our required structural repairs.  We have plenty of other hands for that… civilian hands with a vested interest, so Lilia is free to leave at any time.”

“Thank you, Matriarch.”  Shepard offered her hands, palms up.  “I appreciate the gesture and will gladly take you up on the offer… but I’ve taken enough of your time.  I know we are both exceedingly busy at the moment, with all our after-action repairs and reports.”

“That we are, Spectre.”  Lidanya nodded as she laid her hands gently upon those offered.  “I still find it hard to believe you survived the blast that destroyed the Bridge of the _Moreh_ with such relatively minor injury.  Go with the Goddess, Shepard…  It becomes more and more obvious to me that you and yours are under her care.”

Shepard smiled, stepped down from the command platform, and made her way to the main airlock to depart the ship, all the time wondering just how minor her injury was.  _Never had a ‘simple headache’ last this long._

\-------------------------------

**Tassrah, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 5 Jan 2189**

Ashley Williams looked up as the passageway doors slid aside for XO Leon Rensch and Chief Engineer Greg Adams.  She raised a hand and waved the pair into the conference room as they approached the clear door.  Saying, “Have a seat, gentlemen,” she toggled a control to change the clear panels to an opaque silver.  Both officers had been uncomfortably waiting for this meeting – the first since Ashley had returned to the ship from the Quarian conflict.

Handing each of them a datapad, she said, “Is everything in that report an accurate rendering of what took place during my absence, gentlemen?”  She answered Leon’s questioning glance with a quiet, “Take your time.”

After a seemingly long five minutes, Greg placed his datapad on the table and leaned back.  “Looks accurate to me, Commander.”

Ashley waited until her XO had finished and set his own pad on the table.  “Looks pretty bad when it’s all spelled out in black and white like that.”

Williams first looked at Rensch, then at Adams.  “Anything either of you would care to add, or change, or delete from that report?”  Studying their glum expressions, she added, “Gentlemen, this is not an inquest.  It’s not a trial.  The _Normandy_ was attacked by a hostile force and was damaged.  Other ships in this battle group were totally destroyed… causing the deaths of thousands.  By comparison, the _Normandy_ is in good shape…  None of this is your fault.” 

Ashley let out a quiet sigh.  “I simply need to make sure this report is an accurate telling of the events that took place on 03 January, in which _Normandy_ was hit by one of two missiles fired by the Quarians.  I then need to write letters of condolences to the families of Manos and Donnelly.”

Try as he might, Leon couldn’t help but feel responsible for their deaths; he started to tell his captain just that when she grinned at him.  “Now, I have a treat for you and, especially, Mr Adams.”  She paused for a moment to pick up a different datapad; after quickly scanning its display, she said, “I’ve been in contact with Prime Legion and the Council.  Due to the extent of the damages to the _Normandy_ _’s_ machinery spaces, the estimated time required to restore the ship to full functionality – Legion’s words – is sixty days, minimum.”

Greg’s mouth fell open.  He attempted to keep his emotions under control as he responded, “Sixty!?  I’ve seen the amount of damage down there, Ma’am.  A crack Alliance repair team would be able… to…”

He trailed off as Ashley held up a hand in a mute appeal for patience.  “The Alliance won’t be involved in the repairs, Mr Adams; if they were, I guarantee the ship would be down ninety days.  SILC repair teams work around the clock – they don’t take breaks, don’t need sleep…”

Greg nodded his head in understanding.  “It just seems there isn’t that much damage, Ma’am, but I do see what you mean.”

“Besides which,” Ashley concluded, “ _Normandy_ is no longer an Alliance ship, or have you forgotten whose emblems are painted all over her?”  Her expression told Greg she was attempting to keep the mood light, even if her words had a bit of a sting to them; in no way was he prepared for her next bit of news.  “The SILC have offered to perform the repairs at Haratar Station… an offer which I gladly accepted.  It’s the closest facility and, more importantly, the only repair center operated by someone we trust which we can reach relatively quickly at sub-light velocities.”

Scrolling through the data displayed on her notepad, she paused, turned it around and handed it across to her chief engineer.  “To complete the repairs in the timeliest fashion, the ship’s environment will be open to space for much of that time, so we won’t be able to stay aboard; plus, the Council needs us to continue our work.  Can’t accomplish much with our asses planted on a station, no matter where it is, so…”

Greg looked up from studying the datapad.  “We’re to be assigned to the _Nalotir_?”

“Everyone, with the possible exception of Edi.  Since she is still tied to the _Normandy_ _’s_ servers and can operate in a zero atmosphere like the SILC, she’ll be taking point on the repair protocols, making sure everything is as good… or better… than before.  And, given the SILC reputation for perfection, I would not be surprised to discover a number of improvements integrated into the final product.”

Leon nodded thoughtfully as she finished speaking.  Standing, he smiled as he said, “Will that be all, Ma’am?  Sounds like I need to pack up my gear for a move.”

The Spectre grinned at both of them.  “Dismissed, gentlemen… and yes, go get packed.  We’re not needed for the trip to Haratar Station, so I’ll make the ship-wide announcement and we’ll begin shuttling over to the _Nalotir_ as soon as enough folks are ready.”

\-------------------------------

 **_Normandy SR2,_ ** **Tassrah, At Large – 6 Jan 2189**

The shuttle sat at idle, waiting for the ship’s captain to board.  Ashley stood and let her eyes wander one more time through the hangar bay.  “Take good care of her for us.”

“Of course, Williams Spectre.”  Legion’s lights blinked rapidly.  “While we were completing fundamental repairs, we discovered the weapon designed by Creator Xen was very similar to the Prothean ‘Red Wave’ that terminated the Old Machines.  The primary difference being its targeting parameters – the weapon focused on organic systems coding instead of Reaper technological patterns.  It coopted and rewrote the protection program coding to open a tunnel, which allowed the secondary, explosive charge to traverse the shields and barrier to enter the ship unimpeded.”

“Son of a bitch!” Ashley cursed.  “So, how come Tali’s program didn’t stop both missiles… or, worse, let them both through?  Why two different results?”

“That was a result of the missile speed and close proximity to the next.”  Legion paused as he received more data.  “Each emitter was capable of scrambling only one decoder at a time, and each missile ran an independent attack.  Had the Creators targeted a location that had overlapping emitter coverage, it is highly probable Creator Zorah’s defensive net would have defeated the attack attempt.”

“Damn it!”  Ashley clenched her teeth at how close they had been to escaping damage.  “So, all that was needed to protect the ship was to have more emitters mounted on the hull?”

“Not necessarily; in order to guarantee success, the programming would also need to be altered.  As written, it does not currently contain a duplication limiter function of any kind.  This would be required to ensure each emitter could identify one particular missile and ‘tag’ it in such a way the next emitter would recognize, forcing it to move to an alternate target.  Each missile has an independent targeting identifier, so the required programming changes within the emitter control program should be relatively rudimentary.  If it would be acceptable, we can attempt to upgrade this programming during repairs.”

“Thank you, Legion.”  Ashley grinned, thinking about what she had told Greg and Leon regarding getting the ship back in a better-than-new condition.  “Please do…  Anything else you can think of to improve the _Normandy_ would also be welcome; just be sure to contact me for authorization before you do any additional modifications.”

“Understood, Williams Spectre.”  Legion quickly added, “It is our pleasure to assist.  We will contact you via Edi-Normandy should any such questions arise.”

“Sounds good.”  Ashley boarded the shuttle and turned to Legion.  “Please remember… I’d like weekly updates at a minimum!”

She would have sworn the SILC was laughing as he responded, “As you command, Williams Spectre.”  She wanted to ask him what could possibly be humorous to a machine, but the shuttle door had closed as they lifted off, enroute to the crew’s temporary home.

\-------------------------------

**T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 6 Jan 2189**

The first thing Shepard and Liara did after arriving at the Estate was to say a quick hello to the staff… then seek out Spectre and friend, Moises T’Dura.  “Thank you, again for providing your services to help Samantha.”  Liara offered the Spectre a warm smile.

“It was nothing, Lady Liara.”  Moises grinned.  “I’ve worked with quite a few different Spectres… and, though Shepard may be a bit more brash than many of them, she acts so with the authority and skills to back it up.”  She turned her focus to the Human and added, “And, I sincerely hope this is not the only time we join forces and work cooperatively, Shepard.  There are few with whom I would trust my life… but you certainly make that very short list.  Thank you for asking for my help; it was my honor to serve.”

“The honor was mine, Moises.”  Shepard was surprised when T’Dura reached out a single hand for a Human-style shake but reacted quickly to accept the invitation.  “If you ever need me to pay back the favor, all you need to do is call and I’ll be there as soon as I can.  I assure you; the feeling of trust is mutual.”

“Then this is goodbye.”  T’Dura dropped Samantha’s hand and modified her words.  “Or, perhaps more correctly, until we meet again, Spectre Shepard.  Remember what I told you and keep yourself safe.  You can’t help me if you’re dead.”

“I will,” Shepard answered, chuckling at the questioning look on Liara’s face and shaking her head.  “I’ll explain later, Liara.”

With a final wave, Moises quickly boarded the waiting shuttle and was gone.

With a quiet sigh, Shepard reached for Liara and, hand-in-hand, they retreated to their private sanctuary; during the short journey, Samantha told her bondmate about T’Dura’s advice regarding her actions on the Bridge of the _Moreh_.  Liara was troubled by the conversation, torn between Shepard’s choice, which seemed morally justifiable, and T’Dura’s statement.

“I am unsure how to respond, _Siame_.  In my heart I know I would do anything to keep you safe and uninjured… so, even though it makes me feel rather selfish, I would have to side with Moises on this.”  Liara cast her eyes to the floor in her sense of shame.

“Hey.”  Shepard reached over and gently lifted the Asari’s chin.  “And that’s okay, Liara.  I would expect nothing less from you… and I did promise you that I would always come back.”  She shrugged slightly and let out a sigh.  “So, as morally questionable as it may seem, I know I’ll have to think seriously about what Moises advised me next time I find myself in a similar situation.”

“But thinking about it and doing it are two very different things, Sam.”  Liara’s anxious gaze fell on the newest scar on her bondmate’s face.  “Look at what happened this time.”

“I know.”  Gently stroking Liara’s face to ease the worry lines there, Shepard added, “But I want to come home to you, always… and not in a box.  So, I will do whatever is necessary to make that happen, I swear it.”

Liara dropped her eyes again and whispered, “People frequently speak of Spectre overreach… but, may the Goddess forgive me, I find I have to hope that what you say is what you actually do, and you do not end up dead because of an attack of conscience over a known criminal.  I believe I could deal with that feeling of guilt much easier than I could stand living without you.”

Shepard closed her eyes and pulled Liara close, finding comfort in her arms.  “ _Gráim thú,_ _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _,_ and I very much doubt the Goddess will find fault in your desire to keep me well.”

“I hope we never have to find out, _Siame_.”

“That would be best…”  Shepard smiled softly and pushed back just enough to see Liara’s face.  “Now.  How about we do what we intended to do when we got up here?”

Liara nodded quickly, took a deep breath and blew out her frustration.  “Yes.  Let’s.”

Smiling at one another, happy to be home and to have the uncomfortable conversation behind them, they slipped quickly out of their uniforms and slid into their personal spa tub.  Shepard groaned in limited relief, still having a subtle, nagging ache thrumming behind her right eye.  Feeling her discomfort, Liara knelt in the tub before her to gently massage her Human’s head, focusing mostly on her forehead and temple area.

Shepard cracked her eyes open and smiled softly.  “Feels good, Blue.  I should probably mention this to Alyna and Derek… see if they can figure out why it’s taking so long to heal.”

“Not a bad idea, but I honestly don’t think you need a doctor to tell you it’s a headache mostly brought on by stress… not solely from your injury, Samantha.”  Liara made sure her tone was soft and understanding… not accusatory… as she continued with her tender, loving strokes.  “It is a consequence of how much you care for all those around you.”  Her warm lips pressed softly to Shepard’s temple as she murmured, “And I wouldn’t have you any other way, _Siame_.”

“Hmmm.”  Sam’s eyes slid closed again as she hummed in pleasure at the soothing pressure, accompanied by the warmth of biotics, which was slowly easing the annoying pain along the side of her head.  “I’m glad, Li… because it’s the only way I know how to live,” she whispered.  She felt Liara’s breath before she felt the kiss feather across her lips. 

Murmuring, “And it’s one of the many reasons why I love you,” Liara dropped her hand from the side of the woman’s head to cup the back of Shepard’s neck while deepening the kiss.  _{Let me know if the meld causes you any discomfort, Samantha.}_

Slipping her eyes open once again, Samantha saw obsidian orbs, open in invitation along with the comforting mind that sought their joining.  A willing accomplice, Shepard quickly dropped any remaining barriers and whispered quietly through the link to accept Liara’s swelling desire.  _{Embrace Eternity.}_

\-------------------------------

Not remembering exactly how they had gotten from the tub to the bed – but knowing they obviously had done so – Shepard woke from her refreshing slumber, Liara tucked warmly against her, fitting perfectly into her curves as if they had been purposely created as a pair.

_{That is because we were, Samantha…  We must have been, as I cannot imagine anyone in the galaxy being a more perfect fit for me.}_

Tipping her head to place warm lips against the ridges of Liara’s crest, Shepard sighed with contentment.  “Me neither, Blue.”

Liara trailed her hand down Samantha’s abdomen and Shepard felt a spike of arousal slip through the link as Liara asked, “Was your sleep restful?”

Shepard smiled and rolled up on her side, looking into Liara’s eyes to see darkening rings hinting at their edges.  She dropped a hand to Liara’s knee and drew it slowly up the inside of the Asari’s thigh, eliciting a quiet gasp.  She smirked as she asked, “Seriously, T’Soni?”

“Goddess, yes.”  Liara’s eyes darkened a bit more with the teasing stroke and her body trembled as the hand approached the crux of her legs.  “I can’t help myself, Sam… and I will never be ashamed to admit I desire you.”  She gasped again, louder, as a finger slid teasingly across her sex.

Knowing she shouldn’t tease, Shepard leaned over and captured Liara’s mouth as she dived in.  _{I love you, Liara.}_ Happy laughter rolled across the link in both directions as Shepard continued her thought. _{I’m all for more practice making little blue babies!}_

Having rested, the meld was long and deep, the couple easily losing themselves in a shared bliss.  Shepard lost all sense of time as they teased and tormented one another to rapture… some unknown number of times.  Laying on a tangled pile of covers in an exhausted sweat, Shepard thought she had nothing left to give as lips closed yet one more time on her clit, but Liara’s teasing and coaxing tongue would not be denied.  Beyond all reasonable expectations, Shepard felt her desire climb… a tremble in her legs foreshadowing the culmination of Liara’s efforts to pull her to one final peak.

Grasping weakly at the sheets beneath her, Shepard groaned in pleasure as she felt euphoria surge through her yet one more time.  “Gods, T’Soni…  Have mercy,” she finally managed to squeak out, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

An almost equally exhausted Liara crawled up beside her and collapsed at her side, using the last of her energy to plant a kiss on Shepard’s lips, before snuggling once more against her bondmate’s side.  “That was positively magnificent, _Siame_ ,” she murmured quietly.

“Gods, I hope so,” Samantha managed to chuckle.  “I think I’m gonna sleep for a week after that performance!”

“Not a chance…”  Liara glanced at the chrono on the nightstand.  “We have to be up for dinner in three hours.”

“You’re killin’ me, T’Soni.”  Shephard groaned and rolled up on her side, pulling her lover close as she closed her eyes, whispering, “But I’ll be ready by then, I promise.”

Liara giggled in her own exhaustion.  “Well… I’m glad that one of us will be… because I doubt very much that I will be awake yet.”

\-------------------------------

**Tassrah, Phoenix Massing, At Large – 6 Jan 2189**

Ashley Williams looked around the flight deck of the Spectre vessel _Nalotir_ – confiscated from the rogue faction of Quarians attempting to re-enslave the SILC – as she made ready to depart the Phoenix Massing.  During her entire career with the Alliance – first, as an Operations Chief in the Marines, then as a Navy Lieutenant Commander, she had previously been assigned to only two warships – _Normandy_ _SR-1_ and the _SR-2_.  _Seems I’m destined to spend more time on confiscated vessels than our own._

The interior layout of this vessel – designated as a fast-attack frigate – was as different from the _Normandy_ _SR-2_ as night and day.  In addition to the ship’s commander, the Flight Deck was crewed by a pilot, a navigator, a communications officer and a weapons control officer; there was no CIC on this ship.

Joker was not happy… to hear him tell it – and she had, several times, during the four hours they’d been aboard – the pilot’s seat was not nearly as comfortable as his own chair on the _Normandy_.  Ashley suspected his main complaint with the chair was that it already had the impression of a Quarian’s narrow ass imprinted in the cheap upholstery.  She also suspected the snarky flight-lieutenant would find a subtle way to ‘pay her back’ for her lack of sympathy for his tender ass.  After inspecting the Navigator’s position, she assigned Leon Rensch to the post. 

Ashley hadn’t spent as much time as she would have liked getting to know the woman that had taken Garrus’ position as weapons control officer; Senior Chief Petty Officer Regina Hansen generally spent all of her on-duty time in the forward battery on deck three, fine-tuning the Thanix cannon’s ‘calibrations’.  Williams had jokingly commented once that she was very much similar to Vakarian in that aspect of her job and was not surprised when Hansen had thanked her for the compliment.  Ashley welcomed the Senior Chief to the flight deck as she moved to take her position among the crew.

With Sheldon Dubow rounding out the flight deck crew as the _Nalotir’s_ communications officer, the Spectre looked around at her team.  Activating her ear-mounted comms device, she called her engineering chief.  “Commander Adams.  Are you ready to see what this ship can do?”

She grinned at his enthusiastic reply – having a new ship with a near state-of-the-art propulsion system to tinker with had seemingly taken his mind off the unhappy news he had to help her deliver on the CGC.  “This thing should be able to really haul ass, Captain.  All of us down here are ready to go!”

Sitting back in her centrally-located command chair, she directed her attention to Leon, saying, “Mr Rensch, lay in a course for Widow.  Joker, take us to the CGC, best speed.”

As both replied, “Aye, Ma’am,” Ashley felt a slight vibration in the deck underneath her chair and feet; the clouds of gas and star field visible out the viewports wheeled around as Joker turned the ship for the Relay.  Joker added, “Twenty minutes out to the relay, Ma’am.”

“Acknowledged, Flight Lieutenant.”  Ashley crossed one leg over the knee of the other as she watched the ship’s progress on the nearby projection well.  She had discussed their proposed course with Leon; they had concluded that taking a trip through their own local cluster before arriving in the Serpent Nebula would be much faster than the alternate path leading through four intervening relays.  She listened in on the reports being filed with her XO as they got closer to the relay.  Deciding to go deal with the unpleasant task awaiting her, she rose from her chair, told Rensch she would be in her quarters, then quietly left the flight deck.

\-------------------------------

**T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 7 Jan 2189**

The first thing the next morning, Shepard was awakened by the soft chime of her omnitool.  Liara groaned and rolled away as Samantha propped herself up on an elbow to read the incoming message.  She turned back and gave Liara a soft kiss on her warm cheek, whispering, “Mozia and your father are here, _Grá mo chroí._ ”

Attempting to blink away her sleepiness, Liara asked quietly, “What time is it?”

“It’s only eight, Blue.”  Shepard rolled back to her side and swung her feet over the side, rising from the bed.  “Take your time… I’ll welcome them, find out what’s up, and let you know.”

“I imagine they are here regarding ‘Ana and Iryna,” Liara sighed.  “That’s my father… always right on top of any personnel changes, especially if it involves my personal guards.”

“She loves you, Li, and simply wants to see you safe.”  Shepard smiled softly.  “And, it just so happens that’s a concern I _also_ take very seriously.  If that’s the reason for their presence here, I can handle it as Captain of the T’Soni guard, if you prefer to sleep in a bit more.”

“No… tell them I’ll be down in a bit.  I need to take a cool shower to wake myself up.”

Shepard had already started dressing as they talked and walked around to Liara’s side of the bed as she tucked in her shirt.  She assisted her _siame_ to her feet, then pulled her into a close embrace, where she gently touched their foreheads together.  “That’s a shame, because you’re nice and warm… and I’d rather you stay naked in bed… for me to find later.”

“I know better.”  Liara pushed away and let out a short chortle before continuing, “You’ll get all caught up with the day and I’d have to stay in bed for hours before you’d show up again.”

“Acht.”  The expression of disgust was followed by a chuckle as Shepard turned to leave.  “You’re probably right.  Anyway… I’ll head down and see what’s up.”  She stopped and glanced back over her shoulder, her adoration for Liara obvious in her tone.  “Love you.”

Liara smiled softly, a soft glow appearing on her cheeks as she replied, “I love you, too, Sam.”

\-------------------------------

“What the fuck were you thinking, Shepard?”  Aethyta’s growl welcomed the Spectre the very moment she walked into the den, before she had even physically seen the visitors.

“Thyta!” Mozia chastised.  “It wasn’t the Captain’s fault…  You, better than most, understand the risks of combat!  You’ve seen enough of it!”

As Aethyta continued to maintain her angry, dour expression, an immediately annoyed Shepard located her in the room and looked her in the eye, asking, “Exactly which point are you referring to, Matriarch?  ‘Ana’s or Iryna’s death, the incident with the mad bomber, or the strategy for the whole damned confrontation?”

Before the unscheduled reunion could entirely explode in argument, Mozia walked between them and gently grasped one of Shepard’s hands; with her free hand, she reached up and softly ran a caring fingertip across the length of Shepard’s newest scar.  “A few centimeters lower and this could have been very bad.  You could have lost your eye.  How are you feeling?”

“Generally good… but the headache returns pretty fast when I have to deal with politicians…” Unforgiving, Shepard cast a scathing glance at Aethyta and added, “…or argumentative, intractable matriarchs.”

As Aethyta’s ire rose, Mozia shook her head in disapproval.  “Please, Shepard.  Aethyta is brash enough as it is, I don’t need you goading her into an actual altercation.  She’s just concerned about you… and you staying alive for Liara.  She doesn’t know how to express her fear appropriately, so falls back on anger and aggression.”

Mozia’s words actually made Aethyta look a bit ashamed and Shepard relaxed her posture.  “Yeah, I know that…  It’s that we just got home yesterday afternoon and haven’t really had a chance to unwind… and deal with our losses.”  Her eyes went back to Aethyta.  “And I am sorry, Aethyta.  I’m just not used to being attacked in my own home… especially first thing in the morning before I’m completely awake, and by my family, no less.” 

Shepard glanced around the room and located the serving tray she knew Lyessa would have delivered upon the arrival of their guests.  “If we’re to speak civilly, I need some coffee.”  Her eyes returned to her guests.  “Can I get you anything?  Tea?  _Kaffe_?”  Looking pointedly at Aethyta, she asked, “Ryncol?”


	14. As It All Falls Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
> CIC - Combat Information Center
> 
>  _Grá mo chroí_ _-_ love of my heart (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Gráim thú_ \- I love you (Gaelic)
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
> SILC - Synthetic Intelligence Life Codes (previously known as Geth)
> 
> XO - Executive Officer

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 7 Jan 2189**

Gabriella Donnelly carefully stepped from her shower stall, grabbed her large bath towel and blotted the moisture from her skin; turning sideways as she stood in front of the full-length mirror, she cupped her swollen belly with both hands and sighed.  _My pregnancy is only six months along_ … _I really wish Kenneth was here._   Moving her hands up, she cupped underneath her breasts and lifted slightly.  _He certainly approved of how much these have grown,_ she thought ruefully.  _He couldn’t keep his hands off them when we were in bed._   She relished the warm feelings that ensued from the memories of their Christmas holiday together.

Sighing again, she pulled on underpants – calling what she needed to wear these days in order to keep her bottom adequately covered ‘panties’ seemed wrong – a bra and undershirt, before moving to her bedroom, where she pulled on a loose-fitting top and comfortable pants, socks and a pair of slip-on shoes.  After enjoying a cup of hot tea and a light breakfast, she slung a pack over one shoulder and walked the 490 meters to the propulsion lab to begin her workday.

She greeted Senior Chief Petty Officer Tamiko Miyazaki with a cheery, “Good morning, Tammi.  Anything new or interesting to tell me?”

The Japanese woman smiled in return.  “Not really… same old stuff, just a different day.”

The Senior Chief counted herself extremely fortunate that Gabby had transferred in from the _Normandy SR-2_ , even if her pregnancy was the only reason for the reassignment.  _But_ _Gabby will have to depart in a month or so to begin her maternity leave… that’s a bit troubling… there’s no one here who can fill her shoes!_  During the four months Gabby had been a member of her team, Tamiko had grown to love Gabriella Donnelly as if she were her own sister and, as soon as the thought floated across her mind, Tamiko mentally kicked herself for being so selfish. 

That Gabby was so knowledgeable concerning propulsion theory – particularly as it applied to FTL drives, where she was in a class by herself – was a huge plus, and Tamiko had to simply shake her head in amazement at the many different directions Gabby’s insatiable curiosity and intellect took her concerning the different ways such drive-cores could be oriented to achieve maximum efficiency – whatever the design or shape of the vessel utilizing the drive.

\-------------------------------

**T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula** **– 7 Jan 2189**

“Ryncol?” Aethyta asked.  “At eight in the morning?  You really are out of sorts, Shepard.  My Little Wing would have both our heads if she walked in and saw us drinking that rot gut this hour of the morning.”  They shared a quiet chuckle before Aethyta added, “Honestly, it is good to see you upright and talking.  You scared the shit out of Liara with that damned explosion… not that you had any real control over that lunatic Quarian.”

“How do you know how Liara…?” 

She didn’t get the full question out before Aethyta interrupted, growling out, “Because she sent a message to Mozia, telling us what was going on, while you were being recovered by the medevac, you rockhead!  She may be the better half of the galaxy’s hero-duo, but she’s still young by Asari standards, Shepard.  You two are supposed to have 900 years ahead of you… and every time you go into battle without her, the prospect of your demise frightens the living hell out of her… especially when something like _that_ happens.”

“Well, shit.”  Shepard drew a deep breath and sat down in the chair closest to the serving stand.  “Believe it or not, I really do understand that whole concept… and we’ve talked about it, but I guess I always expect that, sooner or later, she’ll get used to the risks… and, this time, Liara gave me no indications she was so frightened.  I obviously assumed, apparently incorrectly _,_ that she must have known I was going to be alright… it’s apparent now that she’s just getting better at hiding what she’s feeling.”

“She’s not hiding her emotions from you, Shepard.”  Mozia smiled encouragingly and poured a cup of coffee for the young Captain, handing it to her as she stated, “It’s only because your senses were a bit muddled as a result of your head injury… and because you didn’t see _her_ before she saw _you_ … which was exactly when her relief at seeing you awake and walking immediately washed away her thankfully unjustified fear of the unknown.”

“Thank you for the reassurance, Matriarch… even though I’m not quite sure I accept your defense of my insensitivity.”  Shepard turned to Aethyta and paused to collect her thoughts before stating, “And you, Aethyta.  Apparently, I can be pretty dense sometimes… and there’s nothing like a good old-fashioned tongue lashing to force me to get my head back on straight.”

Following a quick glance at Mozia, Aethyta replied, “Yeah, well… I was pretty out of line, too.  Not like you’re _trying_ to get yourself killed.  I know you love my girl too much to do that.”  She walked over, poured a cup of hot water and dropped a tea ball in it. 

“Sorry about that, too.”  Shepard frowned at her own apparent inability to hold onto a thought for more than a few moments.  “I offered refreshments but didn’t actually get you anything… and now you two are taking care of me and yourselves, instead.  I don’t know where my head is.”

“Don’t worry about it, kid.  You’ve got a lot on your mind right now… including some minor residual swelling that yet remains… if I’m not mistaken.”  Aethyta chuckled and quickly handed the tea off to Mozia before pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting in the chair across from Shepard.  “So… no matter how much shit I may be throwing your way, you have a pretty good excuse for not being in top form… and, I imagine you’re also wondering why we’re here.”

“Not really.”  Shepard shrugged, taking a quick sip of her own coffee before continuing, “Liara and I assumed it was to discuss what needs to be done, regarding ’Ana and Iryna… both for their memorials and their replacements.”

“Yes.”  Mozia sat next to Shepard and laid a hand gently on the woman’s knee.  “I know it must seem fast to you, but…”

“No, Matriarch, it doesn’t.”  Shepard offered her an understanding smile.  “We’re speaking of Liara’s personal guard, and we can’t be two commandos short on the most critical team of the House.  I fully understand that.”

“Well then, you’re not completely mentally incapacitated, Shepard,” Aethyta stated with a gravelly chuckle.  “Do you have anyone in mind?”

“On our way home, we talked about Cyenia Axeuss…  She’s been Team 1 Lead for a while now, and this would put her in position to be Livos’ successor, when our good captain finally decides to move on or retire.  But then, who replaces Cy to lead Team 1?”

Aethyta nodded in approval.  “My thoughts, exactly… and I was thinking of moving Teana Seloni to the Estate and promoting Alestia Tressi to Team 1 Lead for Armali.”

A voice from the door answered, “As long as Teya is happy with the move, I find her a perfectly acceptable lead for our Team 1.”  Liara smiled at her father and Mozia as she walked in, hot tea in hand.  “And, good morning to you both.  I’m sorry to be late in welcoming you.”

Mozia immediately stood, moving to give Liara a careful hug, so as to not spill her tea.  “Good to see you, Liara.  I’m sorry we got here so early, but your father was a bit impatient to get started.”

As Aethyta groused a coarse objection, Liara simply laughed.  “Quite alright, Matriarch.  I honestly haven’t known Dad very long, yet…”  Her eyes drifted to her father, “But it’s been long enough for me to realize that patience is most certainly _not_ one of her virtues.”

As the group laughed at Liara’s assessment, Aethyta growled, “Maybe not, but I know our commandos… and I’m glad you approve of Teya.  Other than Nayla… and Riana, of course… she’s one of the best we have.”

“So, Teya it is, but I’m late to the conversation…”  Liara’s expression darkened as she somberly asked, “Have you yet discussed Iryna?”

Shepard, smiling sadly at her bondmate, had also risen from her seat when Liara had walked in.  “Not yet, Love.  Join us?” she asked, indicating the last open seat of the four surrounding the small table, pulling it closer to her own chair before Liara could occupy the space.

Liara offered Shepard a loving smile as she answered, “Of course.”  She moved quickly to take her place at the table, sitting down and reaching over to place her free hand on her bondmate’s thigh as she continued, “So, if I may, I would like to ask that Bevos Shyria come along with Teana, to take… Iryna’s place.”  She paused, a shadow of sadness overtaking her face, and took a sip of tea as the others absorbed her request.  “Bev is a solid, well-rounded Huntress… and would provide an excellent all-purpose core for the restructured team, as well as being someone whom Teya is familiar with.  Even though they won’t be on the same team here, I still believe it would make everyone’s transition a bit easier.”

“Huh,” grunted Aethyta.  “Can’t argue with that logic… and I see no reason to disagree.”

“It matters not to me.”  Mozia shrugged slightly.  “Either way, our existing staff will need to shift positions… and we’ll have to send out a calling to fill the two vacancies.  I have no objections to either Teana or Bevos moving to the Estate.  Quite the contrary, I find them both to be excellent choices.”

“Then it’s settled.”  Shepard nodded and stood, pulling Liara up with her.  “Now, if you don’t mind, we need to eat something for breakfast… seeing as you rousted us from our bed and we’ve not yet had the opportunity to put anything in our stomachs.”

“Goddess!” Mozia exclaimed.  “Of course… how inconsiderate of us!  Let us adjourn to the dining area and we can visit there while you eat; once you’ve gotten your fill we can return to the remaining business at hand.”

\-------------------------------

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 7 Jan 2189**

The day had not started much differently than any other day spent in the Alliance Propulsion Lab, and Gabby and Tamiko had gone out for lunch at one of a trio of small nearby cafés they liked to frequent.  After returning to the lab, they had each lost themselves in their respective projects.  A few hours later, the lab’s lead engineer, Lieutenant Commander Fletcher Voight, quietly entered the compartment in which Tamiko and Gabby were working. 

During the short time he had known Chief Petty Officer Donnelly, he had grown to trust her judgement regarding the experimental tech she was helping to make a reality – if she declared a path of inquiry was a dead end, it was only after she had run all the trials needed to either prove or disprove that particular line of thought.  She had such a sunny personality, he hated that it was incumbent on him as her commanding officer to be the bearer of such miserably bad news.

In a soft voice that belied his many years in the Navy, he said, “Ms Donnelly, I need you to come with me, please.”

Gabby was instantly suspicious… Voight had never asked her to accompany him anywhere in the facility.  “May I ask what this is about, Sir?”

Fletcher had an expressive face, a fact that did not serve him well in this situation.  “There are a couple of people waiting to meet with you, Ms Donnelly.”

Gabby looked to Tamiko as she asked, “Would it be okay for Ms Miyazaki to accompany me?”

Voight’s immediate thought was to deny her request, as what she was about to learn was of a highly personal nature, but after a few moments of thought, he reluctantly nodded, saying, “That might not be a bad idea.  Ms Miyazaki, if you would be so kind?”

Gabby was now certain that whatever Voight’s visitors had to share with her could not possibly be anything good; she locked her terminal, waited for Tammi to do the same, then followed the lead engineer out of their small lab.  After walking through several short passageways, he opened the door to his office suite and waved the pair in ahead of him.  Pausing at his adjutant’s desk, he said, “Please continue to hold all my calls, Corporal.  This may take a bit of time.”

Instead of going into his office, Voight turned to his left to go through a door labeled ‘CONFERENCE’; after several paces through a short hallway, he entered a nicely appointed room.  There was a long table in the center with chairs enough to seat twelve.  Against a wall adjacent to a large window sat a comfortable looking couch flanked by a pair of similarly upholstered chairs.  Gabby stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing the people seated in those chairs… Spectre Ashley Williams and Commander Greg Adams… Voight walked past Gabby and Tamiko as Ashley stood and approached her former engineer.

There were already tears on Ashley’s cheeks as she threw her arms around the Chief Petty Officer and hugged her with a whispered, “Gabby… it’s been so long!” With a heavy sigh, she pushed back, clutched Gabby’s hands and said, “How have you been?”   Gabby was an extremely perceptive person; the fact the Williams and Adams were here… _Witho_ _ut my husband!_ …had her on high alert.  In the meantime, Greg Adams stood from his chair and greeted his former propulsion engineer with a subdued, “Hello, Gabby.  Really good to see you.”

Gabby was sure she was about to be the recipient of some dreadfully bad news.  She was more than aware the Council was attempting to negotiate a settlement with the rogue Quarians at the edge of the galaxy, so told herself that whatever these two were about to share with her would not be _too_ difficult to accept.  With a hard stare at Ashley, she said, “Okay, Commander… let’s have it!”

Ashley, still holding Gabby’s hands, sorrowfully replied, “There’s no easy way I know of to tell you what I have to say, Gabby.  It’s my painful duty to inform you… that Chief Petty Officer Kenneth Donnelly, at his duty station on deck four, died as a result of a below decks explosion that tore through the equipment and piping compartments below his workstation.”  Ashley choked back a sob as she squeezed her eyes shut.  Glancing at Greg, she added, “Mr Adams was acting XO while I was off the ship putting an end to Han’Gerrel.”

Greg quietly added, “No one expected Xen to have a missile capable of breaching our shields and armor, Gabby, and without Tali’Zorah’s defenses, _Normandy_ would have been hit by two missiles.  The ship would have been destroyed with the loss of all hands.”

Gabby, having expected an injury report at the worst, took a step back in stunned silence as she attempted to process what she’d just been told.  She felt a pair of cool hands… Tammi’s… take her right hand and squeeze it.  Her eyes were almost instantly awash as she stammered, “That… that cannot be, Commander.  It simply… you must be wrong, Ma’am!”  The tears overflowed and began streaming down both her cheeks in rivulets.  She struggled to find her voice against the increasing tightness in her chest and throat.  “Ma’am!” she gasped.  “There must be some mistake!  The ship…”

Gabby’s mind was reeling.  It seemed like only yesterday she was returning Kenneth’s hugs and kisses, just before he boarded the ship for its departure on the 2nd.  She looked from Ashley to Adams, then back to Ashley as she cried out, “We’re going to have twins together!”  With that, she turned towards Tamiko and wrapped her arms around her friend, clinging to her desperately as she lost control of her emotions and wailed in anguished grief.  Tammi hung on to Gabby as tremors wracked her body, her shoulders heaving as she wept inconsolably for the senseless death of her husband.

Tammi’s grip on her friend provided a physical anchor, even as her body began to react to the outpouring of raw emotions; Gabby’s knees buckled as she let out a surprised groan of physical pain.  Tamiko helped lower her into a chair as the very pregnant woman gasped between sobs, “My God, not now!  It’s much too early!”

“Too early?”  Tamiko looked questioningly at her friend; Gabby scrunched her face up for a moment as another painful contraction rolled through her abdomen.  “Too early for what, Gabby?”

“My babies, Tammi!”  Another stab of pain caused Gabby to lean forward in her chair as she choked out, “Oh my God!  I think… it feels like… I’m going into labor, Tammi!”

Hearing the word ‘labor’ was all the impetus Commander Voight needed to call for help.  He asked for an emergency transport to the hospital, then called Dr Walsh.  After a hasty, minutes-long discussion, he addressed the pair. “Help’s on the way, Gabby.  Hang on… help is coming.”

As Ashley and Greg stood by helplessly, Tamiko had knelt in front of Gabby as soon as she had retaken her seat in the chair, saying, “Gabby!  Focus!  Has your water broken?”

Gabby shook her head as she shuddered through another painful contraction.  “I don’t know, Tammi… I don’t think so… I just… Ahhh, shit!  That one really hurt!”

Whispering, “Forgive me,” she slowly slid her hand up between Gabby’s thighs, withdrawing it as soon as her fingers touched the dry cloth covering her crotch.  “Your pants are completely dry, Gabby.  I think you’re suffering false labor pains.”  Taking the grieving woman’s face between both hands, she looked into her eyes and told her, “I need you to calm down, Gabby.  They’re not going to be able to sedate you… so you need to calm yourself… you’re gonna get through this… _We’re_ gonna get through this, together.”  Lowering her voice to a whisper, she continued with, “You’re not alone here, Gabriella.”  Using her thumbs, Tamiko gently stroked Gabby’s cheekbones, saying, “Look at me.  I’m right here, and I’m not going to leave your side, okay?”

As Tamiko continued to whisper soothing words of deep caring, Gabby reached up and clamped both hands on Tammi’s wrists.  “How am I going to survive, Tammi?  How!?”  Gabby was still weeping between gasps of physical pain that nearly doubled her over.  She sat back up and took a couple of deep breaths before whispering, “What am I going to do, Tammi… without Kenneth!”  She squeezed her eyes tight and shuddered as she cried, “He’s everything to me!”

Tamiko shook Gabby’s head minutely between her hands as she replied, “One step at a time, Gabriella Donnelly… one step at a time!  Right now, you have to focus on those two little people still growing inside of you… each one of them a part of the man you fell in love with… are _still_ in love with!  Ken loved you, Gabby!  And you are going to have two beautiful children as a result of his love for you, and your love for him.”  Tamiko rose slightly, leaned over her distraught friend’s legs and kissed her forehead.  “Kenneth will continue to live on in the babies you’re carrying… but they’re going to need your love, Gabby, understand me?  They _need_ you to be okay, right now!  We’ll figure out the rest as it comes.”

A commotion at the entry drew Tammi’s attention – Doctor Walsh and a pair of Medtechs had arrived with a hover-litter.  Turning back towards her distraught friend, she stood and gripped Gabby’s hands as Walsh said, “Come on, Ms Donnelly… let’s get you to the hospital… get you checked out.”  Tamiko helped Gabby stand, then assisted her as she carefully sat, then reclined on her left side on the hover-litter.

One of the Medtechs covered her with a blanket but was brought up short when Gabby refused to release Tamiko’s hand.  Tears were still leaking from her eyes; voice hitching, she managed to squeak out, “Tammi’s coming with me, Doctor… I need her.”

Dr Walsh smiled at the pair, saying, “Of course she is, Ms Donnelly.  I wouldn’t think of trying to keep her away.”  Nodding to the techs to move along, she thanked Commander Voight for calling her out, then left to accompany her very pregnant patient to the hospital.

Once the door closed behind the departing hoverlift, along with Gabby and her escorts, Greg looked silently at Ashley, unsure what to do next.  She responded by turning towards Commander Voight. Shaking her head in a sorrowful manner, she ground out, "That could have gone a helluva lot better."

“What do you think we should do, Commander?”  Greg had seldom been directly involved with the deaths of crewmen – he now found himself dealing with the deaths of two men directly under his command.

Fletcher attempted a smile which he was sure came across as a grimace.  “Spectre Williams?  How long will you be docked here at the CGC?  I can’t imagine you won’t be needed out in that region again.”

“Depends on the Council.”  Seeing nothing to smile about, Ashley didn’t even attempt to smile in return.  “Damn Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen!  Damn them both to the Ninth Circle of Hell for their treachery!  I sincerely hope they suffer for all eternity!”  Taking a deep, centering breath, she said, “Forgive me, Commander Voight.  I had to shoot Gerrel, point-blank with a shotgun to get him off me.  Xen chose to end her life with high-explosives rather than go to prison.  So, now, they’re together in Hell for all eternity.” 

“I’m sorry, Spectre… I haven’t seen any reports on what transpired out there.  If I may, how did you get back to the CGC, Ma’am?  Doesn’t sound like the _Normandy_ is exactly space-worthy.”

“ _Normandy_ crew was assigned to the _Nalotir_ … a former Andromeda Initiative vessel the Quarians grabbed for their own use.  _Normandy_ was moved to the SILC facility in The Sea of Storms – Haratar Station – where the SILC will perform all the needed repairs; probably take about sixty days.”

“That’s too bad about the _Normandy_ , Spectre.  But, perhaps one of my engineers could catch a ride with you while you’re operating from the _Nalotir_?  Way I understand it, Cerberus had a hand in building the vessel, and I’d sure be interested in whatever propulsion secrets we could learn from her while you’re in command of that ship.  Mr Adams?”

Adams nodded.  “I’m sure we can work something out.  I’m short a couple of engineers…”  he paused for a moment, shook his head slightly and continued on.  “Be a good opportunity for someone from the labs to ride along, see how things happen in the real world.”

“Thank you, Greg.  I’ll select a couple of my best; let you make the choice as to who you’d like.”

\-------------------------------

**Kendra Academy, Kendra Ocean, Thessia – 8 Jan 2189**

Professor Velros was curious as to why she had been summoned to the Headmistress’ office, thinking, perhaps it was over Loria… a rather well-off student who was failing her class – somewhat miserably.  It would be just like her parents to lodge a complaint; Velros had been warned by a number of other instructors who had previously encountered the mother in a less-than-friendly ‘discussion’ over her daughter’s supposedly poor performance.  Never would Lyenia have considered the real reason, so she was completely unprepared when she stepped into the office to discover who was awaiting her arrival.

Surprised, she dipped her head in respect and immediately greeted the unexpected visitors.  “Lady Liara.  Spectre Shepard.”  She faltered as the one and only reason they would be standing before her – in person – came to mind.  “No.  Please… tell me anything but that.”

The distraught look on the matron’s face brought tears to Liara’s eyes as she answered, “I am afraid I cannot, Professor Velros, however loathe I am to deliver this news.”  Liara drew a preparatory breath and continued, “I regret to inform you of the death of your daughter, Iryna Velros, in service to both House T’Soni and the Council, as a crew member aboard the Spectre vessel _Knight Shade_.”

Velros put one hand on her chest over her heart as she blindly searched behind her with the other for a chair.  Shepard flash-stepped, quickly grabbed the nearest chair and slid it behind the poor Asari as she staggered back a step, then fell, more than sat, into the chair that was suddenly moved into place.  Shepard softly clasped her hand and whispered, “Are you alright, Professor?  Do we need to call medical?”

Shaking her head ‘no,’ Lyenia gathered herself and answered unsteadily, “I am well, Spectre, though my heart is breaking.”  A sob escaped, but the tears streaming down her face would not keep her from completing a mother’s duty to her deceased daughter.  “I always knew this could happen.  I prepared myself during the Reaper War, to never see Iryna again… but then…”

“You relaxed… knowing the war was over and hoping for peace, as did we all.”  Liara approached as well and crouched beside the chair.  “I am so sorry… words cannot express the grief I know you must be feeling.”

“Normally, those words are hollow… spoken by most in an attempt to extend comfort.”  Lyenia actually managed a tremulous smile.  “But you have suffered unexpected loss as well… with your mother.  So, I know you speak with the truth of experience.  Still, in actuality, I must say your words… your condolences… offer little in the way of true comfort.”

“Just as those I received after the death of my mother.”  Liara squeezed the professor’s hand.  “I know words can’t do much… but they are spoken to let you know you are not alone in your grief.  Iryna was one of us and had been so for a long time.  Though not by blood, she was still a member of our family.”

After drawing a deep, ragged breath, Lyenia stood slowly and squared her shoulders.  “I must tell Cy… as you know, Iryna’s father and my bondmate.”

Liara and Shepard had stood with her, Shepard adding, “Yes, and we are prepared to escort you home aboard the T’Soni _VIP-1_.  We do not expect you to take a public taxi home, alone.”

“But I must return to my office… pack my things…”  She glanced at the headmistress.  “I must take Bereavement Leave… to make arrangements.”  She suddenly stopped as the reality once again hit home.  Her shoulders started to shake as she sobbed in her distress; raising a fist to her mouth, she bit her index finger in an attempt to feel the pain of something… anything… but the agony of her daughter’s loss.  “Oh, Goddess…  Where is her body?  Please, tell me you brought her home, at least?”

“Yes, we did.”  Shepard couldn’t stand it anymore and tears ran down the Human’s face as she wrapped the Asari in her arms, Lyenia sobbing into her shoulder as she cried.  Samantha remained silent, having no words sufficient to even begin to quell a mother’s grief, simply providing a shoulder to cry on until Lyenia was once more able to compose herself. 

When they finally pushed apart once more, Shepard spoke softly.  “We have Iryna in a stasis pod and we will take her wherever you desire, though you must realize we would like to hold services at the Estate, with full House T’Soni Honors, should you agree to do that.  It would be our privilege, and the very least we could do.”

“I believe Iryna would like that… very much.”  Lyenia drew a quick breath between the sobs she was attempting to stifle.  “Though, we have friends and family here… so we must at least hold a viewing here, first.”

“Whatever you want to do, we will accommodate… and pay for.”  Liara frowned at the mother’s forthcoming refusal.  “No.  She died in my service and while I can do nothing to ease the weight your heart must carry on its own, I will not let your family also bear the financial burden caused by Iryna’s death.  You will receive the full T’Soni Death Gratuity, along with a combat loss stipend… as well as her last month’s pay… for a total of 352,000 credits.”  Liara reached out and took Lyenia’s hand, adding, “And, as the head of House T’Soni, I will not let you and Cylis suffer any more than is necessary during this time of mourning.  Do not worry about missing work… either of you… as all your next month’s expenses will be covered while you grieve the loss of your only child.  No parent should ever have to bear such a thing.”

As Lyenia stared at Liara, blinking in overwhelmed silence, Shepard looped her arm through hers.  “Come on.  Let’s get your things and take you and Iryna home.”

\-------------------------------

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 8 Jan 2189**

After spending the night in the maternity ward, a somber Gabriella Donnelly slowly entered her residence passcode into her omnitool, passed it through the haptic lock and waited as the door unlatched and slid into its recess.  A lightly accented voice from beside her said softly, “Come on, Gabby.  Let’s get you inside, maybe get you a snack… some hot tea, then get you into bed.”

Tamiko Miyazaki used the arm she had around Gabby’s back to help ease her into the main room of her small apartment.  After setting their shoulder packs on the floor by the entry, she closed and locked the door, then helped her into what Gabby referred to these days as her ‘comfy’ chair.  Moving to the small kitchen, she called out in a cheery fashion, “Ya know, I don’t think I’ve been here since your birthday, Gabby.”  Setting a kettle on the stove to heat water for tea, she added, “Seems we had Chinese takeout, before visiting Dr Walsh… when we returned, we had cake.”

Tamiko hadn’t expected an answer; taking the four or five steps back to look at her friend, she spoke her name.  “Gabby?”

Grieving, dull brown eyes looked up questioningly.  “I’m sorry, Tammi.  I wasn’t paying attention… what did you say?”

Miyazaki forced a smile on her face.  “Come on, Gabby.  Let’s get you ready for bed while the water heats, okay?  Do you have a spare pillow… maybe a couple of extra blankets?”  Upon receiving a puzzled gaze, she explained, “I’m going to be staying with you for a while, Gabby.  Dr Walsh didn’t think you should be alone, an opinion with which I’m in total agreement.”

The corners of Gabby’s mouth turned up ever so slightly as she whispered, “But I’m not alone, Tammi.”  Holding her belly, she explained, “I have a couple of wonderful children… that go everywhere with me.”  Looking down at her hands, she squeaked out as her throat constricted, “They’re all I have to show for Kenneth’s love for me.”  Tears began sliding down both cheeks; tipping her head down to rest chin on chest, she moaned, “After Christmas, I was already missing ’im so much, Tammi.  I was hoping he would be able to be with me for their birth.  What will I…”  She didn’t finish the question as her shoulders began to shake.

Tamiko leaned over her friend, hugged her, and said, “Come on, Gabby… up.  Let’s get you changed, then we’ll have some tea and talk a bit.”  Gabby swallowed hard, attempting to get her ragged emotions under control.  She allowed Tamiko to assist her up from her chair, then made her way into her bedroom, where she listlessly pulled her clothes off, pulled on a sleepshirt, then sat on the lid of the toilet seat while Tammi went over her face with a damp cloth.

Returning to the kitchen, she let Gabby fix a cup of tea for each of them while she looked through her cupboard; finding a package of cookies, she placed them on the counter and sat on one of the stools.  Gabby set a steaming mug of tea in front of her, grabbed a couple of the cookies and took a seat across from Tammi, who cast an appraising eye on the distraught mother-to-be.

“I know you don’t feel like talking about this, but I want you to be thinking about what you need to do, Gabby.  For starters, you’ll be granted bereavement leave… seven days, beginning today.”  Tamiko took a bite of cookie and a sip of tea before continuing.  “I know it isn’t enough time, but I had a thought while Dr Walsh was examining you.”

Gabby studied her friend over the rim of her cup as she sipped the comforting beverage.  Without moving the cup, she quietly replied, “I don’t know that I can accomplish anything right now, Tammi… seven days or seventy… makes no difference.  I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“What I was thinking was this: you’re carrying twins.  You’re roughly what?  Six?  Seven months along?  Having false labor pains so soon is serious, sweetie.  All you need to do is ask… I’m sure Dr Walsh would recommend that you immediately take a medical leave of absence.”  Tamiko reached across the counter; squeezing one of Gabby’s hands, she continued, “Your health and that of those little ones is way more important than anything we're working on in the propulsion lab.  You really need to consider taking the time for yourself.  The Alliance Navy won’t implode while you’re gone.”

“I don’t know, Tammi… whatever would I do with myself?  I’d go crazy from boredom.”

Miyazaki smirked as she replied, “Really?  You don’t have to be doing something every day, Gabby, but if you really feel that way, I’m sure the commander would be happy to assign you some non-classified research that you can complete from a terminal here… or wherever you call home.  You and Ken weren’t planning on having those babies here on the CGC, were you?”

Gabby sat up a little straighter as she remembered something… an offer, made by Liara T’Soni during a vid-call before her own bonding ceremony with Captain Shepard: _“Should you desire to deliver your baby planet-side rather than on a space station, you would be more than welcome to spend your maternity leave here, with us.”_   Eyes shining bright with renewed hope, she actually smiled at Tamiko.  “I’ll be going to Thessia, Tammi.  Liara T’Soni offered me a place at her estate.  She told me they have a full-time doctor on their staff, and she and Shepard would be honored to help me bring my first child into the world.”  After taking a bite from a cookie followed by a sip of tea, she continued, “She doesn’t know I’m carrying twins… it would probably be even more educational for them – I don’t think there are ever multiple births among the Asari.”

Tamiko was thrilled that Gabby had actually managed something different than either frowning or outright crying.  “That’s wonderful, Gabby.”  Nibbling on her own cookie, followed by a sip from her mug, she added, “I would think that being on Thessia with Lady Liara and Captain Shepard would help ease your way through all this.”

Gabby nodded in agreement.  “I have to visit Dr Walsh tomorrow for a follow-up exam.  I’ll ask her about medical leave… find out what needs to be done.”  Face clouding over again, she added, “Don’t know how much good I’ll be in the lab, at least for the near term.”  Taking a sip of tea, she studied her friend from over the rim of her mug and added, “Do you think I’m giving up too easily, Tammi?  I feel like asking for medical leave is… I don’t know, it’s like I’m too damned cowardly to face this head on.”

“Nonsense, Gabriella!  You spent the entire war serving on the _Normandy_ … _and_ during the campaign against the Collectors.  Don’t think for even one nanosecond that you’re a coward.”  Miyazaki finished her tea.  Standing, she took her mug to the sink and washed it.  Turning towards her friend, she said, “Come on… let’s get you squared away, so you’re as comfortable as possible while you rest.”

\-------------------------------

Tamiko Miyazaki woke with a start; sitting up, she attempted to get her bearings.  Gazing around the darkened room, she quickly remembered she was staying with her friend Gabriella Donnelly, after the poor woman had experienced a bout of false labor pains.  Tamiko listened carefully.  In the stillness of the quiet apartment, she thought she heard the sounds of… muffled weeping.  _Gabby!  Dammit!_

Rising to her feet, she padded softly to the closed access door to Gabby’s bedroom, which swished open at her approach.  Approaching the bed, she whispered, “Gabby?  Everything okay?”  The dim light coming from the nearby bathroom allowed her to see her friend, lying on her left side, face buried in the pillow she was clutching to her chest.  “Oh, Gabby.  I’m so sorry.”  Tamiko moved around to the other side of the bed; without any hesitation, she slid in under the covers, wrapped an arm over Gabby’s side and grabbed her left shoulder.  Pulling herself in tight against the grieving woman’s back, she whispered, “You’re not alone, Gabby.  I’m right here.  You’ll get through this.”

A hand came up to grab her wrist.  “My God, Tammi!” she cried quietly.  “I miss ’im so much.”

“I know you do, Gabby… I know.”  Tamiko had never felt so helpless as she did this minute.  How did one go about mending a heart ripped in two by such a tragedy?  All she had to offer was companionship.  _Not sure if that’s gonna be enough,_ came the thought.

As Gabby regained some control over thoughts about her loss, the quiet presence of Tamiko’s body pressed against her back calmed her… making her realize she wasn’t completely alone on this seemingly sterile station in the middle of the Serpent Nebula.  The warmth of a caring person seeped into her, calming her as perhaps nothing else could; within a few minutes, Gabby fell into a dreamless slumber.

Tamiko smiled in relief as she relaxed against her friend… soon, she was back to sleep as well.


	15. Picking Up the Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _A Grá_ \- My Love (Gaelic)
> 
> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
> SILC - Synthetic Intelligence Life Codes (previously known as Geth)

 

**T'Soni House Armali, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 8 Jan 2189**

Mozia sat at her desk working quietly as Aethyta wrote up the basics for the upcoming “Commando Call.”  Once complete, the Armali Guard Commander passed what she had to the House Executor, who added the necessary procedural data and finessed the final wording, before forwarding the document to Liara for approval.  Any applicants would go through an initial review with Shepard and the two Guard Captains, Lyria Tremi and Nayla Axoni.  The trio would select only ten candidates from the hopefuls, who would then receive invitations to compete for the two vacant positions.

Once she tapped the ‘transmit’ icon on the haptic interface, Mozia stood and stretched.  “Goddess, Thyta.  It seems like that took much longer than it should have.”

“Only because we hated the necessity of it all, Moz.”  Aethyta stood and walked over, pulling her lover into a comforting hug before gruffly continuing, “Iryna and ’Ana will be hard to replace…  Though, I do believe Cy will be a good fill for the Lieutenant position.”

“Yes, I believe so as well.”  Mozia sighed and pushed back.  “We need to head to the reception room…  We’re already a few minutes late for our planned announcements.”

\-------------------------------

The commandos fell silent immediately upon the matriarchs’ entry and Mozia wasted no time getting down to business.  “My apologies for our late arrival.  I have just now sent the Commando Call message out to Lady Liara for approval…  So, you can anticipate a selection competition to take place toward the end of the month; we are tentatively looking at the 28th and 29th.”

Aethyta sniffed and eyed the group as she took over the announcements.  “As for the more immediate concerns, you must realize what happened necessitates a few personnel moves.  If you have a problem with any of them, we’ll talk them out here and now… I am in complete agreement with Liara that there will be no secrets in our House.  Understood?”

With nods of acceptance and a few murmured affirmative replies, Aethyta continued.  “Alright, then.  First off, we need to fill out Liara’s Personal Guard, so Lieutenant Cyenia Axeuss will be moving up and taking a position as Captain Tanni’s second.”  As the commandos offered their enthusiastic approvals of the selection, Aethyta cleared her throat and continued, “Which obviously leaves Estate Team 1 with a vacancy at the Lead position.  We’ve opted to promote one of our own…”  Aethyta’s eyes located her target as she stated, “She’s moving to the Estate and taking up Cy’s previous job…  Congratulations, Lieutenant Teana Seloni!”

As the crowd cheered at Teya’s good fortune, Mozia clapped her hands and added, “Which leaves us with a vacancy of our own.”  Glancing toward Aethyta, who smiled and nodded, Mozia announced, “Our new lead taking over Team 1 will be _Lieutenant_ Alestia Tressi.”

As she started to receive claps on the back in congratulations, Alestia stared at Aethyta in disbelief.  “But what of Aressa?  Should she not be moved up… and I take Team 2?”

Laughing at the new lieutenant, Aressa smirked.  “Don’t be so sure Team 1 Lead is a better position and that I should have been moved to that position based on merit.  I like running the second team, because it is the Team 1 Lead who gets called at odd hours to respond to emergencies… and that, my friend, will not be me, thank you very much!  You can have it!”

Alestia’s mouth hung open in surprise for a moment, as she absorbed her fellow lieutenant’s words.  She finally smiled and chuckled quietly.  “Challenge accepted, Matriarch… at Aressa’s loss.”

Issuing a brief nod, Aethyta answered with a smirk, “Good.  Because you have the job anyway, whether you want it or not… but, you won’t be going alone.”  Her gaze shifted once more as she added, “Because Bev is going with you to the Estate, to take Iryna’s slot on the Personal Guard.”

“Ahhh,” Captain Axoni exclaimed in understanding.  “That explains why you were busy writing the announcement for the Calling, instead of Lady Liara… because the two unwelcome House T’Soni vacancies have shifted to us, here at Armali.”  She looked at Aressa and Alestia.  “Both of you need to honestly evaluate your teams to determine if there are any particular skills you need, so I can pass that information over to Lady Liara and Captain Shepard.  Assuming Aethyta and I agree with your assessments, your reports will likely influence which applicants they select for the positions.”

“Along those lines,” Aethyta spoke again, “A word, Nayla… after everyone else is released?”

“Absolutely, Commander.”  Nayla nodded in acknowledgement before asking, “So, are we done here?”

“Yes… and Bev needs to get packing.  Liara’s Personal Guard can’t wait…  She and Shepard are back on duty and heading to the CGC on the twelfth, so Bev needs to be relocated and up to speed before then.”

“Only four days from now!  Understood, Aethyta.”  Nayla glanced at Bevos, who simply gave a curt nod of acceptance before turning quickly on her heel and exiting the room to get ready for departure.  “Everyone is dismissed.  Spread the word with those on duty, if you please.”

\-------------------------------

**T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 11 Jan 2189**

Contacting Tra'ana’s parents on Niacal had not been as easy as locating Professor Velros.  Compliments of Niacal’s distributive, agricultural lifestyle and the planet’s nearly impenetrable jungles, many of the farm centers had remained untouched by the Reapers and, following the war, the planet’s agricultural production was currently feeding millions across the galaxy… so business was booming.  'Ana’s father was a captain in the Aurolis Republican Guard and her mother was an agrobiologist with Candinay Agricultural Products – both of whom had been exceptionally busy since the end of the Reaper War, making it difficult to know where either of them was on any given date and time. 

The biggest problem for Shepard and Liara had been that Orisoni had no relay and not all the remote comm buoys had been replaced, so there was no way to contact them without physically traveling to Niacal.  While still within the Athena Nebula, travel there required a rather long FTL flight from Thessia.  As such, while they left Mozia to handle the arrangements for a Sunday memorial at the Estate, Shepard and Liara had boarded the _Knight Shade_ once again, to make the cumbersome, round-trip journey.  They had departed Thessia as soon as their initial business with the Velros family had concluded on Thursday and arrived in the Orisoni System late afternoon on Friday and at Aurolis, Orisoni’s capital, just before dinner to begin their search.

Delivering the news to the Iremi family proved no easier than it had been with the family of Iryna Velros.  It had to be done quickly in order for them to be back at the Estate for the memorial, so Liara and Shepard were fortunate that the planetary communication server, unlike the trans-galactic system, was fully functional.  They located Tra'ana’s family relatively quickly and, like the Velros family, they also opted to attend the service with full honors.  So, they packed quickly for the three-day trip, travelling all day on Saturday so they could reach the Estate that evening in preparation for the Sunday memorial.

\-------------------------------

Liara and Shepard forced themselves out of bed early, in order to be present to welcome their guests as they, along with the rest of the household, trickled into the dining area for breakfast on Sunday morning.  When Captain Agatha Bura, Tra'ana’s father, entered the room, her eyes scanned the area to finally light upon Spectre Shepard.  Approaching the woman quickly, she dipped her head in greeting.  “May I join you?”

“Certainly…” Shepard rose as she spoke, continuing, “… but, please.  Grab something for breakfast first and we can chat while we eat.  The day will be busy and what we have before us should not be approached with an empty stomach.”

“True enough… but I was going to wait to eat until Liliana joined us…”  She paused, her brow raising in surprise.  “But, then again, she’s here.”  Agatha looked at the Spectre and continued, “So, we’ll fill our plates and be right back.”

Once they did so and returned to the table, Liliana was the first to speak after their polite hellos.  “I want to thank both of you again, for coming in person… all the way to Niacal… to deliver your sad message.”  She swallowed hard and sighed.  “I know it was likely not much easier for you to tell it, than it was for us to hear it.”

“No… it wasn’t.”  Shepard set her fork down and looked the mourning mother in the eyes.  “Tra'ana was much more than just a commando… she was a friend.”  A wistful smile overtook the Spectre’s face as she added, “We frequently found ourselves cooking together in the Mess, along with Iryna Velros.  She had an excellent palate… and I just now realized I’ve lost both my cooking buddies, as well as friends and essential members of my ground team.”

Agatha’s eyes teared up as she replied, “I didn’t even know that.  It seems you may have known my daughter better than I do… did.”  She let out a quiet sigh.  “Niacal is so remote… we have not seen her in a long time, except for a few moments during vid chats on Janiris.”

“That’s too bad, because she became a wonderful person… you must have raised her right.”  Shepard smiled sadly.  “She told me about Liliana… and you, especially.  You were her hero and her role model; she was proud of you.  She was planning to return home and join the Guard after her time here, when she decided to settle down into matronhood.”

“She never said anything to us about that.”  Agatha set her fork down and held her breath for a moment, before whispering quietly, “I wonder why she never mentioned it.”

Before Samantha could propose an answer, Liliana’s brow knit and her voice carried a hint of embarrassment as she asked, “Did she have a lover, Shepard?  I would hate to think she was alone.”

“She was a normal Asari, if that’s what you mean.”  Shepard shrugged.  “To answer your question more directly, yes.  She had a few casual lovers, as do most of the Commandos.”

“Thank you, Captain.”  Liliana sounded relieved.  “I imagine that’s one thing that isn’t very different between our cultures.”  Letting out a quiet chuckle at the confused expression on the Spectre’s face, she added, “You don’t simply ask your offspring if she’s having sex.  At the very least, it embarrasses them to talk of such things with their parents… Asari or not, I imagine.”

Laughing softly, Shepard agreed.  “I guess that’s true.  I’m not sure how in Hell I’ll handle that when the time comes.”

The conversation took an unexpected turn as Liliana reached across the table and placed her hand upon Shepard’s, her eyes moving between the Spectre and their hostess, Lady Liara.  They could see in her eyes that she doubted Shepard’s statement, but for the wrong reasons.  Thinking the Spectre a ‘normal’ Human with an average lifespan of 150 years, Liliana whispered sorrowfully, “I hope you have won us the peace that will allow your first child to grow old enough… and that you stay with us long enough to have that chance., Spectre.  I am tired of war…  and I’d like to think that everyone else is, as well.”

Shepard looked at Liara, who responded to the silent query through the link before replying out loud to Liliana’s misconception.  “We are most definitely blessed… and I feel compelled to tell you something of a delicate secret.  Shepard has an extremely _rare_ genetic abnormality; a one-of-a-kind abnormality if truth be told.  She is expected to live nearly as long as I… easily into her ninth century.”

Agatha was so surprised at the proclamation, she stood from her chair and stared at the Spectre in amazement.  “How…?”  Suddenly self-conscious, she glanced around the dining room as she returned to her seat and gathered her thoughts.  “That is astounding, Shepard!  I am surprised you’re not locked up somewhere as the focus of an illegal scientific study; whoever located and could replicate that gene for Human genetic modification would never have to worry about credits ever again!”

“That’s why we try to keep it a secret.  Though, eventually, people will have to realize I’m living longer than I should, when I apparently refuse to age.”  Shepard smiled grimly.  “Very few people know, but I’ll tell you – I _was_ held in a Cerberus science facility for a couple of years, until someone attacked it, trying to get to me…  and I managed to escape in the confusion.”

Agatha looked at her with a newfound respect and shook her head again, adding, “Not something I would even care to contemplate… being in the hands of that madman for two years.  I have to assume, seeing as it’s not on the market, they didn’t figure out how to replicate the gene pattern.”

“What they did was unimaginable.”  Liara smiled lovingly at her bondmate as she continued, “But Shepard, against all odds, is back with me.”  Purposely withholding the full truth of what happened during Project Lazarus, she looked at the couple and finished, “I could never ask for anything more wonderful than to have her at my side again.”

“The missing years!” Liliana suddenly blurted out.  When a confused Agatha looked at her, she elaborated, “Liara said Shepard is at her side… _again_!  The two years Shepard went missing… We all mourned her loss after the _Normandy_ was destroyed!”

“That’s right!  How could I have forgotten that?”  Agatha’s face turned angry.  “They kidnapped a galactic hero and got away with it?  Why didn’t the Council do anything?”

“They all thought I was dead, including the Alliance,” Shepard answered flatly.  “But everything worked out in the end; Cerberus is all but destroyed, the Illusive Man is dead and I’m _not_ … I don’t consider that getting away with anything.”

The Republican Guard captain suddenly smiled in satisfaction.  “Point taken, Spectre.”

They had spoken much longer than any of them had anticipated and, as a tranquil silence fell between the four new friends, Liara spoke quietly.  “I suppose, on that note, it is time for us to turn to the business at hand today.  The Priestess should be arriving shortly… I recommend we all retire to our rooms and prepare for the memorial.”  She smiled sadly.  “We’ll see you out at the docks.”

\-------------------------------

The rest of the morning was rather somber.  The memorials were held as scheduled, immediately followed by an afternoon meal of quiet reminiscing.  As was typical of House T’Soni, stories about each of the lost were told by various members, some happy, some sad, but all enlightening for the families who had been long separated. 

The day eventually drew to a close, and after saying their farewells to Liliana and Captain Bura on Sunday evening, the T’Soni _VIP-1,_ manned by the newly restructured Team 1 and pilot Luyna Veuss, headed out with a late-night departure to return them to their home on Niacal. 

Immediately following their departure, Shepard, Liara, and crew boarded the _Knight Shade_ and escorted Lyenia and Cylis home to Kendra Ocean before heading to the CGC for their Monday morning appointment with the Council. 

\-------------------------------

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 12 Jan 2189**

“Turians get straight to business when it comes to memorializing their dead, so I’ve already missed that, but before I can go chase this uptick in pirate activity, I still need to attend the funeral rites for the deceased Aralakh Company members!”  Shepard let out an exasperated sigh.  “It really doesn’t matter if you consider it ‘rather unusual’ or not, I’m still Grunt’s Battlemaster and a member of Wrex’s clan.  Not attending would be considered a terrible slight… one which I will not commit.  I am going to Tuchanka to honor Tavarog Gund, Foreloc Gurut, Akod Argag, and Th’ar Targug.  If it makes you feel any better about me taking time out to go there, I also plan on asking Wrex about the possibility of a Krogan Defensive Systems Operator for the _Knight Shade_.”

“What?”  Valern nearly came out of his seat in his shock.  “You cannot possibly consider putting a Krogan on your ship’s operations roster!  Commander Jatok is one thing… he’s a Battlemaster, built to fight! … But as a systems engineer?  I’ll not hear of it!”

“What’s the issue?”  Having been nodding in approval at Shepard’s comments, Urdnot Jara’s mood shifted quickly with the Salarian’s outburst, her voice quietly threatening as she growled, “Does the Council not think the Krogan can be trusted with their secrets?  Or is it that you just can’t picture us on a war craft of any kind… since we are still banned from building and operating our _own_ warships?”  Her beady eyes bored into each member seated at the table as she continued, “Which is an entirely different issue I want to discuss while Spectres Shepard, Williams and T’Dura are here today!”

Collecting himself after his surprise at Shepard’s announcement, Valern replied, “That is a matter for another time!”

“No, it’s not!”  Jara stood up to her full, towering height and leaned over the table, glaring at the Salarian.  “We have suffered your suppression long enough, have proven our worth through the Reaper War and, now, fought at your sides and died over a Quarian Rebellion!  We volunteered to fight for the Council and were key to the survival of the very galaxy!  We have earned our place here… and along with this seat comes rights and responsibilities; the right to build ships again and the responsibility to provide a percentage of them to serve with the Council Fleet!”

She then focused on Shepard, who was caught flat-footed by the unfolding events, never expecting such a request from the Krogan… at least not during the current session.  The Spectre stood slowly from her chair, to meet Jara eye-to-eye.  “Even I have to admit this is a surprise…  I had no idea this would be coming up today.  But, that said, I have to say that the Krogan have done pretty much everything I’ve asked of them over the past few years, starting with Wrex on the _Normandy SR1_.  I find myself in agreement with Councilor Jara – it’s time to remove the ban on them building a war fleet.”

Tevos could see the explosion building, so stood quickly to capture everyone’s attention and divert the pending disaster.  She looked directly at Jara as she stated, “I agree… at least that it is worthy of discussion… because Councilor Jara and Spectre Shepard bring up valid points.  We will conclude today’s business and place this new topic as the primary item for our next session… allowing each of us time to calm our tempers and collect our thoughts for a professional, _reasoned_ discussion.  Is that agreeable, Councilor Jara?”

Jara’s eyes narrowed as she studied the councilor’s face.  Never having known Tevos to dissemble, she finally replied, “Yes.  That is agreeable to the Krogan… provided the other councilors don’t use the time to simply fabricate justification to deny us the individual sovereignty the rest of the Council members enjoy.  After this past few months, if anyone is denied the right to own and operate warships, it should be the Quarians, not the Krogan!”

“That’s uncalled for!”  Eri’Addan now rose from his seat.  “A couple of rogue admirals is no reason to disband the entire Heavy Fleet!”

Jara actually laughed.  “Are you truly so naïve as to think those two rogues are the only ones in your Fleet to believe the Geth are still their property?”  Her laugh terminated abruptly, and she glared at the Quarian.  “All of those soldiers didn’t follow those two simply out of loyalty!  Many of them followed Xen and Gerrel because they believed them to be _right_ … that the Geth are their created machines who simple need adjustments in their programming!”

“That will never happen.”  The room suddenly fell deathly silent as Prime Huulik rose to his full, towering height and spoke for the first time in the conversation.  “We have evolved to sentience and will never be considered property or subjugated again.”  His visual sensors focused on Spectre Shepard.  “We made a pact, through Prime Legion, that we consider unbreakable.”  Rotating his head to look at each member seated around the table, he continued, “We serve the Council as partners with each of you and will coordinate with those here to ensure no one ever takes any action to undermine that agreement.  Every race present here today is, and will remain, free to make their own choices.”  He finally focused on Jara.  “Including the Creators, the Quarians.”

Surprised by the Prime’s response, Eri bowed to the sentient machine.  “Thank you, Huulik, for your words of confidence.”  He returned to an upright position and calmly returned to his seat.  “I admit, sorting through the mess left behind by quelling the rebellion so… definitively… will take time and understanding.  I am open to suggestions on how to do so… but that, too, is a topic of discussion for another time.”

“I agree.”  Directing the conversation back on track, Tevos looked at Shepard and stated, “And you are free to attend to business on Tuchanka.  If that includes making queries about potential crew members, then so be it.  Spectres have always had the freedom to select their own crew and the responsibility to secure whatever support they require…”  Her eyes shifted to Valern as she continued, “… without interference from the Council.  I believe that is the heart and soul of our ‘plausible deniability’ clause.  Wouldn’t you agree, Councilor Valern?”

His eyes flashed with irritation and his lips held an angry straight line before he answered tersely, “Yes.  Of course.  Council policy.”

“Excellent.  Then it is decided, Shepard; you are free to attend the funeral rites for the fallen Krogan… and inquire as you will for replacement crew.”  Tevos took a deep breath and returned to her seat as well, staring at Jara and Huulik until they did the same.  “Getting back on topic… the three Andromeda vessels.”

Ashley immediately interjected, “The _Nalotir_ is nice enough, but I plan on resuming command of the _Normandy_ as soon as she’s out of dry-dock.”  Her eyes wandered the table as she asked, “Objections?  Anyone?”

“Seeing as I’m the one who granted the _Normandy_ to the Council and gave her to you, nobody’s taking the _Normandy_ from you, Ash.”  Shepard smiled rather smugly.  “Not on my watch.”

Quentius chuckled and nodded.  “Agreed, Shepard… so that leaves all three stealth vessels up for grabs.”  Glancing around the table, he added, “I would think the Spectres can pick from them, by seniority…  It would give them a definite upgrade on infiltration capability.”

Valern shook his head.  “I disagree.  I believe we should assign them to the Scout Fleet, as that is where we would get the most consistent benefit from them.  We could then provide infiltration to any Spectre who requires it, rather than serving a single agent.”

Osoba chimed in, “Would they also still be available as ‘loaners’… should someone’s ship become non-serviceable, like the _Normandy_ is at present?”

Quentius huffed.  “Spectres, as Tevos made a point of earlier, have always been responsible for securing their own support… including ships… normally from their home planet.  If you don’t want to assign the ships to Spectres outright, why should that change?  Either assign them or not… you can’t leave them in limbo just in case someone needs a loaner, they are too precious an asset to be left sitting!”

“I agree.”  Shepard’s voice cut sharply through the discussion.  “And, currently, only the Human Spectre commands a Council ship.  Because of that, I strongly believe the lead Salarian and Turian Spectres should most definitely have one… and, seeing as my ship is a private vessel and will likely remain so after I retire, the third should go to an Asari Spectre ….”  She glanced at her friend, sitting next to her at the table as she continued, “… Like Moises, seeing as she has seemingly evolved into a lead Spectre position, taking point for the Asari on this latest effort.”

Valern blinked a couple of times, at war with himself, since his original position had been in direct conflict to what Shepard had just proposed.  “Surprisingly, I find myself in agreement with Shepard, contrary to what I previously stated.  It is the most equitable way to utilize our newest assets.”

“So, it is decided.”  Tevos nodded.  “In addition, I suggest that each Councilor speak with their home governing agencies and propose the names of the selected Spectres to us, for approval?”

“And what of the junior Council members?”  Once again, Jara was the voice of discontent.  “Do we not have a say in how the ships are utilized?”

“Of course, you do.”  Tevos gave her a determined stare.  “You will have a say in the approval process for which Spectre receives the ship as their base of operations, yes.  However, since none of the junior members have a Spectre as of yet, there is nothing else to discuss on this topic.  I agree with Quentius on that point – the ships are too precious to be left sitting.”

Jara growled in displeasure but said nothing more.  Shepard, on the other hand, really wanted the meeting to be over, so pushed, “If there is no other business?”

Tevos turned a critical eye to her and replied, “Only a date for when you, T’Dura and Williams will be available to return to work, to curb this surge of pirate activity due to the absence of the Council Fleet…”

“Understood, Councilor.”  Shepard smiled in apology and continued, “But the Fleet returned two days ago and the raids have already begun to taper off… the Spectre Corps will be back in business by the end of the month, chasing down and breaking up the most troublesome of the remaining groups… by whatever means necessary… to ensure they are no longer a problem.”

In a surprising vote of confidence, Quentius closed the session with, “Shepard’s word is good enough for me.  We’re done here.”

\-------------------------------

Shepard paused a few moments upon leaving the Council chambers; after yet another seemingly interminable meeting with the full council, she used the thumb and fingers of her right hand to massage her temples while leaning against the passageway wall.  Liara had been ‘speaking’ to her through the link, so knew her _siame_ was attempting to quell another headache.  _{Sam, you’re beginning to worry me.  It’s not like you to be suffering from so many headaches, A Grá.}_

Shepard smiled at the ‘sound’ of Gaelic spoken by her bondmate.  _{It’s not like me to have to suffer through seemingly continuous meetings with so many intractable politicians, Li.  First the Quarians_ … _now the Council_ … _It’s just a bit more than I care to deal with while there are still the funerals to deal with_ … _and all the remaining rebellion fall-out.}_

She pushed off from the wall and began walking towards the exit, followed closely by Sella Temi, currently serving as her personal guard.  Liara said, _{Let me help you, Sam…}_   With that, she pushed loving strength through the link, enough so that the Spectre actually straightened up slightly.

_{That’s wonderful, Blue.  I always forget just how much help that is when I’m feeling used up!}_

The ‘chuckle’ she received as Liara slid into the background of Sam’s thoughts gladdened her heart like nothing else could.  Feeling immeasurably better, she exited the private passageway and was beginning to walk towards the docks when a young woman, noticeably pregnant, stepped away from the bench on which she had been sitting and approached her.  It took a moment for Shepard to recognize her as… “Gabby?  Liara and I were planning on stopping in to see you before we left the CGC!  What are you doing here?”  The grin she received in response told her Gabby was happy to see her; Sam stopped and spread her arms to the side as Gabby stopped in front of her.

“Captain Shepard?  I was hoping to catch you,” she sighed.  “I hope you can forgive me for ambushing you like this… but I… well…” was as far as she got before her eyes overflowed.  “I’m sorry, Captain,” she sobbed, prompting Shepard to gather the unhappy woman into a firm embrace.

“Gabby… it’s going to be okay.”  Shepard used the unexpected encounter to offer condolences on her loss and see if she needed any help.  “I am so sorry about Ken, Gabby,” she whispered in her ear.  “None of us figured on Xen and Gerrel going to such lengths to further their cause.”

Suddenly aware of a very large, very firm belly pressing against her, she pushed back slightly and looked at Gabby’s blossoming figure.  “Ashley relayed the news that you were pregnant with twins; please don’t take this the wrong way, but you are _really_ pregnant!”

Gabby blushed as she used her hands to cup her belly, saying, “I don’t know how much more room I can spare in there.  One or the other has been using my liver as a punching bag, or a pillow by turns.  They manage to sleep all day while I’m up… only seem to be active when I’m trying to sleep.  After the scare I received a few nights ago, my doctor recommended to the Alliance that they do without my services until after they’re born.”

“Emergency medical leave?”  Shepard was immediately concerned.  “What happened, Gabby?”

“I got overly emotional when Specter Williams and Commander Adams told me about Kenneth,” she replied.  With only one tear escaping from an eye, she squeaked out, “I began having labor pains and had to be rushed to the hospital.”  She forced a teary smile to her face.  “Obviously, it turned out to be a false labor, brought on by stress and anxiety.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t have happier news for you, Gabby.”  Giving the distraught woman another quick, gentle squeeze, Shepard added, “You’re here, so I take it that everything is okay… with the babies?”

With a sad smile, Gabby replied, “Not even a hint they’re ready to leave their comfortable existence, Spectre.  Tamiko… a friend from work, has been staying with me since, just to make sure I’m doing okay.  She’s been a life-saver.”  

“I’m glad you’re doing so well.  Don’t know if I would be, given the same circumstances.”  Shepard peeked at her chrono and cheekily asked, “It’s nearly lunchtime, Ms Donnelly, and you’re eating for three.  Care to join me?”

By now, Gabby was once again the master of her emotions.  She replied as she hurriedly wiped her face, “I would enjoy that very much, Captain.”

Lopsided grin firmly in place, she replied, “It’s Shepard, Gabby… okay?  We’ve been through a lot together and I resigned my commission in the Alliance.  Unless you decide to rejoin my Spectre crew, there’s no need for you to refer to me by my rank.”

Gabby grinned at the woman.  “That’s exactly what I would expect to hear from you, Shepard.  So, where do we go for lunch?  I really don’t wish to walk too far, and honestly?  I’m going to need to visit a restroom in a half hour, or less.”

Sam laughed aloud at Gabby’s confession.  “That’s good to know, Gabby.  Let’s be off then.  There’s a nice little restaurant fairly close by.”  She crooked her arm out for the engineer; of some surprise, Gabby actually accepted and slipped a hand in to grasp Shepard’s forearm.  Hearing a whispered “Thank you,” the Spectre set off for the restaurant at a relaxed pace, accompanied by a very pregnant Gabriella Donnelly.   

\-------------------------------

**Serenity Café, CGC, Widow System – 12 Jan 2189**

Gabby had warned Shepard she didn’t have much of an appetite, even before the Spectre had offered to pay for her meal.  “I know I’m eating for three, but I have to eat less more often, if that makes any sense.”

“It makes perfect sense, Gabby.”  Shepard took a bite from her sandwich, followed by a couple of swallows of beer.  “And twins?  I still can’t believe it… and I think it’s wonderful!”

Gabby didn’t comment; apparently deep in thought, she took a bite from her own sandwich and chewed as she looked off into the distance past Shepard’s shoulder.  After several moments of companionable silence, brown eyes flicked to the greens of her former captain.

“I’m sure you realize I’m currently on bereavement leave… which has allowed me to attend to the more pressing issues brought about by Kenneth’s…” her voice hitched upon saying his name.  She paused only a moment before continuing in a slightly squeaky voice.  “… Kenneth’s… passing.”  She took a sip of water, swallowed, then began speaking about the reason she had intercepted Shepard outside the Council chambers.  “Per Alliance orders, I am not to return to work… with my extended medical leave picking up on the 15th, upon the conclusion of my bereavement period.  I have no qualms at being forced to take a longer leave than I had anticipated, as I don’t want to take any chances with the well-being of my babies… our babies.  They are Kenneth’s legacy, and I want to give them the best life possible.”

She finished her sandwich as Shepard polished off her beer.  “Captain… ” she began.  Suddenly nervous, she looked down as she interlaced her fingers.  Heaving a heavy sigh, she returned her attention to Samantha, who was waiting patiently for her former engineer to continue.

“Liara made me an offer, right before your bonding on Thessia.  She told me if I wished to deliver my baby planet-side rather than here on the CGC, I would be quite welcome to spend my entire maternity leave at the Estate.”  With a shy grin lighting her mien, she asked, “Is that offer still valid, Shepard?”

Liara, loitering in the back of her lover’s mind via their link, immediately weighed in on Gabby’s request.  _{Please tell her that’s an unequivocal ‘yes’, Siame!}_

Shepard chuckled at the vehemence of her bondmate’s statement.  Before Gabby could ask, Shepard replied, “Most definitely, Ms Donnelly… and Liara fervently agrees!  When would you be ready to make the trip?”  Not having expected such an immediate response, Gabby had to ponder the question; Shepard guessed at the reason for her silence and added, “Take your time, Gabby.  I don’t expect you’re ready to leave here this very minute… finish up whatever needs to be done before you make the move.  The CGC is a short hop from Thessia… We are certainly able to provide transport whenever you’re ready to leave… even if that includes an on-board physician, if so required.  We have three on staff… so we can spare one for the trip.”

“That would be wonderful, Shepard!” she gushed.  “After seeing your home and how devoted everyone is to you and Liara, I cannot imagine a better place to be when this pair…” she looked down at her swollen belly, “… decides they’re ready to deploy.”

“Then it’s a deal!”  Shepard finished her beer, then looked at Gabby expectantly.  “Is there anything else you need, Gabby?  Anything?” 

After drinking the last of her water, she said, “If it’s not too much trouble… if you’re willing to travel the extra distance, I will probably need to be picked up on Earth… Scotland, to be precise.  I’ll be traveling there in a day or two to see to the preparations for Ken’s funeral.  Afterwards, I’ll need to take care of the arrangements for sale of his property… our… property.”

In a slightly more somber tone, Shepard asked, “You’re going to sell your property.  Isn’t that where the two of you planned to settle down, Gabby?  I would think you’d want to live fairly close to Ken’s resting place once you’re out of the Alliance, if for no other reason than your kids… they’ll want to know where their dad was born… where he grew up, don’t you think?

Gabby sniffled, then answered, “I don’t know, Captain.  I haven’t thought that far ahead.  I’ll still need a job after my maternity leave is over.  I don’t want my babies being raised in daycare, but I don’t have enough time in the Alliance navy to qualify for a pension.  If Kenneth was still working, I could stay home… be a real mom to our kids.

Shepard reached across the table to grasp a trembling hand.  “Listen… don’t be hasty.  Your house and land will still be worth a lot of creds should you decide to sell it, but give yourself some time before you commit, okay?”

She smiled grimly.  “Okay, Shepard.  Sounds like good advice.  I’ll wait for a bit before I jump.”

As difficult as she found it to be, Shepard smiled back at the future mom.  “You have my contact information, Gabby.  Please send us a note as soon as you know when the funeral will take place.  I…  Liara and I… want to be there, Gabby… for both of you.”

Shepard was shifting in preparation to stand when the hand she had been holding caught her wrist.  “Shepard, before you go, there’s something I really need to tell you.”  There was a vindictive look in Gabby’s normally soft, brown eyes – as if a fire had just been lit – a look which Shepard felt was totally out of character for the grieving engineer.  “I know this is a horrible thing to say, and I pray that God can forgive me, but… I'm glad you put a stop to them, Captain… especially Daro’Xen!  They deserved exactly what they got, and I’m really glad they’re dead!”

As unexpected as it was, Shepard was not surprised.  Gabriela Daniels Donnelly had a titanium spine where it concerned those she loved and cared about.  The Spectre silently nodded in understanding and stood before helping the younger woman to her feet.  She then paid the bill while Gabby visited the restroom.  When she emerged, Shepard escorted the pregnant widow safely back to her quarters before returning to the _Knight Shade_.


	16. Return of the Krogan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DMZ - De-Militarized Zone
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
> Kalros - legendary thresher maw known as “the mother from which all other thresher maws spawn” and the largest thresher maw yet seen
> 
> Klixen - insectoid species resembling crabs or beetles, with fire breathing capabilities and which explode violently when killed
> 
> Kruban - Krogan mythological paradise in which honorable warriors feast on the internal organs of their enemies
> 
>  _Ru'shan_  - “Child of my Blood” (Krogan)
> 
> SpecOps - Special Operations
> 
> Varren - dog-like organics, tend to attack in packs
> 
> Vaul - ancient Krogan deity, a god who stood watch for the enemies of his pantheon
> 
>  _Ynei_ \- Krogan; closest translation is “shooting star” (Source: CDN)

 

**Tuchanka, Krogan DMZ, At Large – 14 Jan 2189**

“About damn time you got here, Shepard,” Wrex growled at the Spectre before looking at her bondmate and smiling.  “And it’s always a pleasure to see _you_ , Liara.”

“Had some business on Thessia that needed doing before we could head this way, Wrex…” Shepard smirked and punched the old Krogan on the shoulder.  “Besides… it’s not even 9AM!  What time did you think we were going to get here for a memorial service that starts after lunch?  I actually thought we arrived at the capital rather early, so we’d have time to get caught up.”

“That’s what you get for thinking like a Human, Shepard.”  Wrex offered up one of his toothy grins to soften his words.  “The memorial starts after lunch… but we were supposed to leave Urdnot and head out to the hunting grounds early this morning to kill a Thresher Maw in their honor… and you’re late.  You should have gotten here last night!”

Liara chuckled softly and shook her head.  “First of all, you never gave us an arrival time… and, secondly, you are well aware of the elections happening on Thessia today… so, we entered our electronic votes and remained only long enough for all of us to receive our vote confirmations.”

Shepard frowned and added on, “And, with everything that’s been going on over the past couple of years, we definitely didn’t want to miss it…”  Her expression lightened as she continued, “… especially since it was my first election!”

“Ah,” Wrex harrumphed.  “I suppose that’s reason enough… but get in the Tomkah.  Everyone else is already waiting at the hunting grounds.”

Shepard started to beg for a delay but stopped mid-sentence as Riana and Livos stepped up and dropped her and Liara’s gear bags onto the ramp.  Livos snickered, a smirk on her face as she said, “As soon as I heard him say ‘hunting grounds,’ I figured you would both be needing these.”

Shepard’s eyes suddenly lit up and her attention darted back to the Krogan Overlord.  “Wrex!  Is there a particular format for this hunt?”

“Kind of…”  He stopped and shook his head.  “No, not really…  not the hunt, anyway.  The memorial is more ceremonial, but the hunt?  We just make it up as we go along, depending on how respected the dead were.”  His eyes narrowed, suspicious of Shepard’s sudden exuberant interest.  “Why do you ask?”

“Because we’re hunting a Thresher Maw… and a certain party among us hasn’t completed her Rite of Passage yet…  She’s still just an ‘honorary’ member of Urdnot.”

Immediately catching on to Shepard’s meaning and seeing the expression on Liara’s face caused Wrex to erupt in laughter, hardly able to manage his response.  “By Vaul’s almighty quad, Shepard!  That’s brilliant… but I’ll have to see if the Shaman is available!”

Despite her numerous protests, once the idea was lodged in Wrex’s head, there was no talking him out of it and, much to Liara’s chagrin, the Shaman claimed it to be an honor to be asked to officiate for one such as Liara T’Soni… the one-quarter-Krogan hero of Tuchanka.  He immediately ceased his final preparations for the later memorial and asked Liara to name those who would serve as the members of her Krantt for the purpose of the Rite.

Her eyes glittering in annoyance, she answered rather quickly.  “Urdnot Wrex and…”  She paused briefly as if contemplating the second name and finally added, “Spectre Shepard.”

As the Shaman began to speak about how unusual it was to request the Krogan Overlord to serve as Krantt, Wrex interrupted him.  “For Liara?  Absolutely!  We’ve fought many a brilliant battle together… I wouldn’t skip this for all the Ryncol on Tuchanka!”

“Understood, Overlord.”  He looked to Shepard, who also answered to the affirmative, and then turned back to the prospect.  “So, you have two Krantt… the Rite allows you three… who…”

He didn’t finish before both Livos and Riana promptly volunteered, then stared at one another in something akin to surprise.  Livos immediately dipped her head in acquiescence.  “You are Lady Liara’s First.  Accompanying her is your right.”

The Shaman clapped his hands three times.  “Then let us go to the arena!  Time grows short.”

Finding no way to gracefully decline once the Shaman had agreed to it, a resigned Liara climbed into the Tomkah.  Sensing a growing reticence in Shepard, she reached over to take her bondmate’s hand.    _{Do not worry yourself over this, as I am not upset with you… nor is it me whom I am concerned about during this Rite, Shepard.  You are still having headaches, so I nearly named Riana instead of you… who ended up coming anyway.}_  She offered a quick squeeze of the hand she held before finishing her thought. _{I felt you very earnestly wanted to do this with me, but you must promise that you will not Charge anything.}_

_{I swear, Li… no Charging anytime in the immediate future unless something unexpectedly deadly happens.  In that case, I’ll take whatever punishment you deem fit to dole out… so long as both of us are alive to discuss it.}_

_{If that is truly the case, Siame, I will thank the Goddess that we are both still here and leave it at that.}_ The conversation wandered off onto other topics, the two smiling at one another like a newly bonded couple until the Tomkah screeched to a stop in a billowing cloud of dust, having arrived at the testing grounds.

\-------------------------------

Following packs of Varren in Wave One and a multitude of fire-breathing Klixen in Wave Two of the Rite, Liara exclaimed, “Goddess!  So many!  Please tell me that only one Thresher Maw will show up for this?”

Laughing good-humoredly, Shepard reloaded her shotgun before tucking it in the weapon sleeve located at her lower back, swapping it for her Arc Projector.  “Yup.  Only one.  Just keep your fingers crossed that it isn’t Kalros who decides to attend the Rite!”

Wrex roared with laughter as Liara blanched, but assuaged her fear quickly by adding, “Won’t happen…  She hasn’t left the Wastes immediately surrounding the Shroud since the war.  Always makes me wonder if she’s keeping that damned Reaper Destroyer as a pet, buried deep in the sand!”

It was Shepard’s turn to laugh.  “Nah…  The red wave would have killed it… but that doesn’t mean she isn’t guarding the souvenir from her biggest victory ever!”

All jovial chatter stopped instantly upon the appearance of the Thresher Maw.  The team dodged its acid spit, constantly whittling away at its armored carapace whenever they didn’t have an open shot at the blue, tongue-like structure, identified by Wrex as a weak spot.

“You couldn’t have told me that before we helped Grunt?” Shepard shouted as she hit the ground and rolled to avoid the latest acid attack.

“We didn’t realize it until after _that_ fight…”  Wrex laughed as his charged Graal Spike Thrower punched yet another massive hole in the Maw’s hide.  “With interest in the tank-born Grunt being so high, the fight was recorded… and your penchant for headshots drew a lot of attention because they seemed to really damage the Maw…”  He paused again as his Graal barked and he reloaded.  “It seemed to us that you were using that bright blue tongue as a target… we assumed in an effort to jam your explosive ammo down its throat… to great effect!”

“Well, shit.  I guess I did…”  Shepard dived again to the ground in a combat roll, popping up to launch another powerful electrical attack against the beast.  “I just figured it was a great way to bypass its armor.”

“It is, no doubt… but the Maw actually reacts more violently to direct hits than it does to those that miss and slide down its throat.”  Grunting with another shot, Wrex added, “Our scientists still haven’t figured out why…  We don’t exactly have a captive specimen to do tests on.”

Suddenly, the fight was over; a warp from Liara connecting with the exact point Wrex was talking about – the base of the creature’s blue tongue, right where it disappeared into its throat.  The tongue actually separated from the body and the Maw released a garbled squeal, collapsing into the sand to writhe in pain for mere seconds before expiring under the Tuchanka sun.

“Great shot, T’Soni!” Wrex bellowed in approval.  “And fitting that _you_ be the one to make the final kill shot!”

Pressed for time, the Shaman immediately stepped in to quiet the small, congratulatory crowd of witnesses and complete the Rite, with Overlord Urdnot Wrex enthusiastically welcoming Liara as the newest official member of his clan before pushing them onward.  “The others have also completed their kill and are on their way from the hunting grounds to the City of the Ancients…  They’ll likely arrive before we do, so Grunt is in charge of starting the preparations for the Honor Feast, where we will gloriously declare victory to Vaul in the names of the dead!”

“City of the Ancients?”  Shepard’s eyebrows raised as she asked the question.  “What about Kalros?  Won’t she be attracted to all the noise?  I can’t imagine any Krogan feast or ceremony being quiet!”

A course laugh erupted from the big Krogan.  “Told you.  She hasn’t left the wastes immediately surrounding the Shroud… and I do mean _immediately_.  She stays on the flat sands and out of the city… Bakara thinks Kalros may be using her victory site as a nesting ground… but no male Thresher has been good enough for her yet, so the area surrounding the Shroud remains empty except for the Mother of all Maws.”  He grinned and added, “Makes for an incredible guardian!”  He suddenly turned more somber.  “No one will ever corrupt the Shrouds again, Shepard.  I still don’t know how we managed to rebuild the first one in nearly the exact same spot as the old one without Kalros making snacks out of the workers, but they did.  Never saw a bunch of quieter Krogan!”

“The threat of getting eaten by Kalros must have been a really good motivator.”  Liara’s initial chuckle faded away as another possibility struck her.  “Or, Kalros is more than we believe her to be… actually smart enough to realize Tuchanka needs the Shroud to recover.”

“That’s a scary thought, Liara.”  Wrex growled and made a face.  “To think there is intelligence behind what we always thought to be just a simple killing machine driven by survival instinct?  Not sure I like that.”

“And I don’t care to test the theory,” added Shepard.  “Have you had any other ceremonies at the City of the Ancients since the end of the war?”

“Always have and always will, Shepard,” Wrex growled.  “No matter who or what moves in as a neighbor, The Hollows will always be our sacred meeting place, even if it _is_ where my father attempted to kill me.  It is the place of our ancestors and part of the old city… which, by the way, we have begun to rebuild – all without Kalros raising even a cloud of dust in our direction.”  His beady eyes shifted their focus to Liara as he continued, “Which makes me seriously wonder about you being right.  Didn’t that Prothean Pyjak say something about them being smaller 50,000 years ago?”

Liara stared at Wrex for a moment, wondering if he was taunting her or honestly didn’t remember the story correctly.  When she finally answered, her tone was completely flat.  “He was speaking of the Yahg, Wrex.  Not Thresher Maws.”

Shepard raised a hand to unsuccessfully hide her smirk, which earned her a glare from Liara as well.  “Still not funny, Shepard.”  Liara huffed and continued, “But the drawings in the City of the Ancients do tell us the Maws were around back then… and it is only logical to assume they have also evolved since that time, having lived so long.”

“Yeah, well, Earth cockroaches have been around millions of years, too… but they’ve never evolved into anything better than they were... still just a base insect,” Shepard said thoughtfully.   “They’ve simply evolved to survive… not necessarily to better themselves.”

Wrex let out a hearty laugh.  “I’ve seen your cockroaches, Shepard… and I don’t think you should let Kalros know you’re comparing her to that annoying little insect.  She just might take offense and change her disposition toward you!”

\-------------------------------

Their mostly playful banter came to an end as the Tomkah slid to a tire screeching halt yet again, this time at the City of the Ancients.  Wrex popped the doors open as he roared, “Good!  We’re here!”  He wasted no time jumping out; with the Shaman following close behind him, they quickly disappeared into the looming structure.

Liara and Shepard climbed out quickly, fully intending to follow, but came to an abrupt halt as soon as they looked upon their destination.  “I’ll be damned!” Shepard exclaimed; her eyes wide as she looked around in delighted surprise.

“It is positively stunning!”  Liara was overjoyed, watching a Krogan couple cooing over a swaddled newborn.  “And there are _children_ here!”

Krogan of all ages were arriving for the memorial from a variety of locations and clans, based on the colors of their attire.  It made sense, given the ceremony was honoring four deceased Aralakh warriors, each one from a different clan.  Grunt’s voice interrupted their musings.  “Of course, there are children… because _you_ made it possible, Battlemaster…  You, your team… and Mordin.”  Grunt flashed a grin.  “You’ll even see a plaque inside honoring all of you.  You, I can understand… but a Salarian?  I’m surprised it hasn’t been torn down or defaced by some old-timer who remembers the start of the Genophage.”

“It gives me hope that the Krogan are actually changing.”  Liara turned to the young warrior and smiled.  “Good to see you again, Grunt.”

“You too, Liara…”  Jerking his thumb back over his shoulder.  “The old fossil is wondering why you didn’t follow him in… ’fraid he’s gonna die of old age before you manage to get in there, standing out here gawping with your mouths hanging open.”  He paused and chuckled again, watching the expressions on the faces of their guests.  “His words, not mine.”

“But the city is… staggering!  Why didn’t you tell us how much had already been rebuilt?”  Liara still couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene before them.  “We had no idea so much has already been accomplished!”

Urdnot Bakara had ambled out, also wondering what was taking them so long, and answered reverently, “With the curing of the Genophage, Krogan who have been gone for centuries have returned home with hope in their hearts.  Physical labor… rebuilding their broken world… is good for all of them to do and see.  Thanks to you, your crew, and Mordin, resignation has been replaced by the courage to once again face our future, now that it is not so… fatalistic.  Just as the cure to the Genophage has healed their bodies, seeing children being born alive is a treatment that heals even the most damaged of souls.”

Shepard and Liara both wiped tears from their eyes and smiled at the lead female.  Liara reached over and laid a hand gently on her armor-clad forearm.  “Thank you, Bakara.  Seeing this is the best news we’ve received in a long time.  I am so happy for you!”

“Agreed.”  Shepard drew a deep breath and let it out as a contented sigh.  “But, I suppose, we’d best get ourselves inside before Wrex sends an escort to retrieve us.”

“Too late… because that would be me.”  Bakara laughed, a surprisingly melodic sound coming from a Krogan, and continued, “He would never truly do such a thing, as you are honored guests.  But, yes.  It is past time for the ceremony to begin… and everyone is waiting on us to arrive.”

\-------------------------------

Seeing them enter, the Shaman nodded in recognition and turned to the crowd, beginning his eulogy.  He spoke of their bravery and the honorable deaths of Tavarog Gund, Foreloc Gurut, Akod Argag, and Th’ar Targug in battle with a cowardly enemy.  At one point, he shouted, “Rather than face the might of only four Krogan, they blew up their own ship in order to consign our warriors to the void!  Those of Aralakh who remained made the mutineers pay for their cowardice with their very lives… for each and every Krogan they killed, we killed at least one hundred of them!”

When the roar of the crowd quieted, he continued with his tribute to the fallen warriors of Aralakh Company, stopping again only when he was completely finished with their story.  The assembled Krogan fell completely silent in their expectation of what came next.  The Shaman looked to Overlord Wrex, who solemnly pulled a torch from its sconce on the wall and handed it to him without a word.

Taking the blazing flame, the Shaman climbed the short flight of steps to the collection of funeral biers, all four sitting upon the stage located in the center of The Hollows.  Walking around the outside edge of the stage, he slowly set the flame to each of the four biers; as the pyres climbed higher into the sky with each passing second, the Shaman shouted his blessing above the growing roar of the fire.  “Each of you has earned your place at Vaul’s side.  Enjoy the feast on the plains of Kruban, happily gnawing on the organs of your vanquished enemies for eternity!”

\-------------------------------

**Urdnot, Tuchanka, Krogan DMZ – 14 Jan 2189**

Once they returned to the capital city, Wrex and Bakara retreated to their home, along with the entire crew of the _Knight Shade._   Bakara relaxed and removed her headdress as she said, “Please, do come in and make yourselves comfortable; as clan, our home is yours.”

 “Yeah… and you can even eat and drink.  Knowing you were coming, Bakara special ordered some of your favorites, Shepard… and some eezo-heavy foods for you as well, T’Soni.”  Wrex chuckled and added, “As for Dextro-based crew, Aralakh may have… _liberated_ … some of the pirated foodstuffs from the _Neema_ before they left, knowing a victory celebration of some kind would be coming up.  Vaul would split my head and eat my brains if I didn’t think about taking care of all the clan guests who would be attending… and the _Knight Shade_ is as much an inter-species zoo as the _Normandy_ ever was!”

“Wrex!” 

Bakara’s growl was met with laughter as Wrex countered, “What?  It’s true!  Everyone on the outside stared at us all, wondering who would eat who in the end…  Few honestly understand how we could all work together, much less believe we all actually _liked_ one another!”

The entire discussion about the appropriateness of Wrex and Grunt’s ‘acquisition’ strategy was quickly ended as a small bolt of red shot in through the doorway and collided with Shepard, shouting “ _Ynei_!” 

Shepard took a step back from the force of the collision, then reached down and scooped the squirming little, head-butting Krogan up in her hands.  The Spectre held her safely at arms’ length as the small tyke kicked her feet in frustration, her stubby, tiny hands reaching out as she repeated, “ _Ynei_!”

“What are you?”  Samantha smiled at Eve.  “Almost a year old, now?”  Her eyes shifted to Bakara as she asked, “And what in the galaxy is ‘ _Ynei_?’  My translator didn’t touch it.”

“The closest translation is ‘shooting star,’ Shepard.”

Wrex gave his bride a scathing glance for her literal answer and added, “She saw your ship blazing away as you entered atmo this morning and yelled that… and I told her no, it wasn’t a shooting star, that it was you, coming back to visit.  I guess you’re stuck with that name now.”  He looked puzzled and continued, “I’m really surprised she put the name together with your face… having met you only once, when she was barely a month old, to boot!”

“You’re always calling Shepard for vid chats, so it’s not like Eve hasn’t seen her since then… just not in person.”  Bakara rolled her eyes.  “That little one notices _everything_!”

“She’s a smart one, then, isn’t she?”  Shepard smirked and pulled the little one in closer, who promptly latched onto her armor and refused to let go.  “And there are worse names she could have attached to me, especially if she listens in on Wrex’s conversations!”

Bakara chuckled as Wrex protested, “Hey!  I’m careful what I say when the little one is around!”

“In that case, do we need to have someone take her before we get down to business?”  Shepard tried, unsuccessfully, to detach the little Krogan from her armor.

“Absolutely not.”  Bakara was earnest in her response.  “We do not coddle our children as other races do, Shepard.  Even with the cure, Krogan life is still difficult… so many still wary of us because of our past history… not to mention the Klixen, Maws, and other creatures that roam our surface.  It will be a long time before the rest of the galaxy trusts us as you do, I fear.”

“Then let’s get settled somewhere and start talking… as that is one of the discussion points on my list.”  As Bakara reached for Eve, Shepard shook her head.  “Don’t worry about it.  She’s fine… at least for now.”

\-------------------------------

“You’ve got to be kidding.”  Wrex stared at her in amazement, not sure if he should be angry or relieved at the final outcome, and the questions began to come.  “You’re sure the Council will let you do it?  Why didn’t Jara say anything to me?”

“I imagine because it turned out to be nothing… at least not yet; not until the next Council session, when everyone brings their own arguments for and against the various issues.”  Shepard shrugged.  “Tevos is on our side… and actually pulled the ‘plausible deniability’ card for us, against Valern’s protest.  Just let Tevos, Jara and me handle it, Wrex.  Jara is a pretty savvy politician, especially as Krogan go, and I remember you telling Bakara that she could trust me…  I hope that still holds true in your eyes.”

Wrex curled his lip for a second in a snarl before answering, “Damn you, Shepard… using my own words against me.”  He huffed quietly and added, “Fine.  Do it your way… probably come out better anyway, seeing as bashing councilor heads until they agree with us probably wouldn’t go over so well in the long run.”  His snarl had turned into a smirk while he had talked.  “That’s why we selected Jara to begin with, so you’re right.  I suppose we have to trust our own judgment as well…  At least in that regard.”

“So, we are in agreement.”  Shepard pulled her finger out of Eve’s mouth so she could scroll her holo-screen to the topic at hand.  “So…  Any idea who you’ll select as my engineer?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.  Don’t even have to think about it.”  He flashed a toothy grin at Liara as he continued.  “After we booted Cerberus in the ass during the Reaper War and took over Firebase Giant, it was temporarily run by an Alliance SpecOps team.  I still have the team that originally took over the facility once the Alliance left.  Jorgal Arkun has been running and maintaining that big gun ever since your engineers trained him to do it; even got to shoot up a few pirate ships crazy enough to think they could land on Tuchanka without permission.  He’s your operator… and you can have him right away if you’re willing to wait for him to pack.”

The big Krogan laughed when a worried frown crossed Shepard’s face as she asked, “Does packing include training someone to take over his job?”

“Your SpecOps squad trained four extra team leaders… in anticipation of us getting the rest of our defense cannons up and operational… two of which we have already completed… still leaving us a couple of spare operators.  So, Ark can most likely be ready within ten minutes of getting the notification,” Wrex answered with a grin.  “Don’t sweat it, Shepard.  I’ll have him pick a new trainee from his crews to fill the extra slot… plenty of time to train him up before that forth gun will be ready.  Ark will be here in the morning before you leave.  No problem.” 

Wrex then frowned as another possible complication crossed his mind.  “I don’t want you getting your ass in trouble for us, Shepard.  You may not need the job, but we need you as a Spectre… so I’ll not have you risk that just to get us permission to have a standing Space Force again.  It will happen in time, one way or another, without you sacrificing yourself to the Council.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Wrex.”  Bakara interjected.  “There is still a lot of hate and mistrust directed toward us, as evidenced by the Council’s initial response.  This is our best chance in centuries… and I don’t believe it should be so easily dismissed.”

“I’m afraid I agree with Bakara on this one, Wrex.”  Shepard shook her head.  “I have no idea if Valern will be the only one with objections.  Tevos cut the conversation off short, by pushing it to the next council session, so I have no idea how the others feel…  But, I do know that Tevos has my back, so don’t you worry about me.”  She chuckled quietly before adding, “Besides, it’s high time the Krogan become a full part of the Council… for real.  Krogan assistance during the war can’t be ignored again; not this time.”

“And Jara’s ideas about us rebuilding our fleet?”

“Are good ideas…”  Shepard paused for a moment in thought, picking up on a suggestion from Liara.  “But, perhaps, we have to start slow… _really_ slow… and you may not like what I have to say next, but I think you need to offer to build only a few ships at the start.”  She held her hand up to stop Wrex from commenting before she was done.  “Once those ships are completed, they will be crewed _jointly_ with the other races and assigned immediately to the Council Fleet.  That will give everyone a chance to get used to the idea and see the Krogan in action before they authorize Tuchanka its own fleet.”

Wrex responded, “And just how long are we supposed to wait, Shepard?”

“That depends,” she replied.  “Mostly on how well your Krogan work with others in the Fleet.  But, honestly…  You’ve endured over a thousand years of this.  What’s another couple of decades, if that’s what it takes to gain the confidence of the Council?”

Growling, Wrex didn’t answer immediately, gnashing his teeth as if chewing on Shepard’s words and trying to decide how he liked their taste.  “I hate to admit it, but I suppose you’re right.  We did some pretty stupid things that we have to make up for.”  He suddenly pounded on the table.  “But how we acted notwithstanding, you have to admit that we had every reason to be angrier than a pack of Varren who just lost their pups!”

“I certainly won’t argue that point.”  Shepard frowned as she continued, “Because that’s basically what you were… an angry mob who just lost their pups… more accurately, lost the ability to even have pups.  I’d be pissed off, too.  Matter of fact, I’ve been pretty pissed off _for_ you, which is why I’m willing to do this for you now…  But you have to promise to be patient and don’t blow, as Bakara said, your best chance in centuries.”

“All I can promise is that I’ll do my best, Shepard.”  Wrex harrumphed.  “I agree with you… but keeping all the clans in check might be a different story.”

“That’s a load of crap and you know it, Wrex,” Shepard scoffed.  “You… being the ‘collective Krogan’ you… have been there before and did just fine at working together to keep any one particular warlord from becoming too powerful.  Use the same tactics to keep any rogues from getting out of control and running off thinking they’re going to build their own private fleet.  If the majority realize that’s what it’s going to take to get your real Krogan fleet back, they’ll support you, so you and Bakara need to talk it up.  Then, deploy Aralakh, ask the Spectres for help, and use any and every other force available to take away whatever any rogue clan buys, builds or pirates.  Give whatever you take to the Council _immediately_ , to augment their fleet until you’ve proven your trustworthiness and they rescind the DMZ order.”

Wrex’s face took on an evil grin.  “That should most certainly make us a few points… both against any thoughts of going rogue and in support of us backing the Council, Shepard.  I like how you think… should’ve known you’d have a plan.”

“Not mine… Liara’s,” she answered with a smile.  “I’m just the brawn in the outfit.”

“Ha!”  Liara reached over and gave her a gentle shove, making little Eve growl with discontent.

Shepard’s brow raised in surprise.  “Easy there, Eve… She’s my Urdnot bondmate and you don’t mess with her.  She and I come as a pair… got that?”

Surprising them all, Eve gave a little nod and stuck her hand out, grasping at Liara who, very cautiously extended her hand to meet the little one waving in the air.  Eve grabbed hold and hung on.

Wrex and Bakara both stared at their little _Ru’shan_ in amazement, having expected her to try to take a bite out of the Asari.  Wrex recovered first, muttering, “Are we sure Mordin’s Genophage cure didn’t have a little something extra in it?  That pup is way too damned smart for her age.”

Shepard’s eyes shifted nervously around the entire group, finally stopping to look into Eve’s tiny little reptilian eyes.  “Shit.  He told me once that he had a lot to make up for after what he did with the Genophage, but do you honestly think…”

Liara sat forward and looked the little Krogan in the face.  “What do you think, Eve?”

Eve, with the closer proximity of the Asari, pulled her hand closer and shoved a blue finger in her mouth next to Shepard’s, now sucking on them both.

Liara chuckled softly and pulled it back, smiling.  “No need to get greedy, now.”  Looking to Bakara, she continued, “But that is actually a very good question.  I wouldn’t necessarily put that past Mordin.  I’m sure we could get Dr Chakwas to take a blood draw on Wrex and compare his before and after the cure.  She’ll certainly have his original data in her records.”

“Yeah.  You just let me know when the _Normandy_ is back in action and Karin has access to that data.”  Normally, Wrex wasn’t too fond of needles, but this had him curious enough to agree.  “We’ll see if we can get them to make a stop here so she can collect a new sample… make that two; Bakara as well, in case it’s gender specific.  Mordin sure made a point of frequently repeating that the females were the future of the Krogan…  I’d like to know for sure if that Salarian did any additional meddling or not!”

“Fertility and a boost in intelligence?”  Shepard canted her head in question.  “Surely, you wouldn’t complain about that, would you?”

Wrex narrowed his eyes and stared at the Spectre.  “Not as long as that’s all he did.”

“On another topic,” Bakara said, attempting to distract Wrex from the unpleasant possibilities, “Where are you and Liara off to next?  Home, I hope?”

Sighing, Shepard shook her head.  “Only for a one-day turnaround.”  With a glance at Liara, she continued, “Our next stop is Earth, for Ken Donnelly’s wake on Friday night.”

“Ah.  That’s too bad.”  Wrex looked sincerely remorseful about Donnelly’s loss.  “Not only was he a damned good engineer, but he could put away the hooch.  Only one on the crew…”  His eyes shifted to Shepard as he continued, “… other than you, but you don’t count because of your genetic engineering… who could put away nearly as much alcohol as me; that boy could really drink!”

A sad smile crossed Shepard’s face.  “He had a pretty mean game of Skyllian-five, too.  He took more than a few creds from the crew before they wised up and started playing for chips instead of money.”

“Heh, heh, heh.”  A deep chuckle from the doorway immediately captured everyone’s attention as Grunt wandered in.  “Never took my creds.  He even folded some pretty good hands… not sure what he thought I had to beat him with.”

Shepard smirked and answered, “Just your fists, Grunt.  You scared him to death!”

“What?”  Grunt almost sounded angry.  “I would never hurt a squad mate!”  His eyes narrowed as he amended, “Unless he was trying to hurt you or Liara… then, he’s meat!”  Remembering he was talking about a dead friend, he grimaced.  “But not Ken; he’d never do that... and he was a fun guy to hang around with.  He always seemed to know where the best bars were!”

“Yeah, he did.”  Shepard sniffed and added, “It’s a real shame… and poor Gabby!”  She cast a meaningful glance at her _I_ _onúin Álainn_.  “She’s handling his death better than I ever imagined… better than I ever could, had it been Liara.”

“You know damned well, had something happened to Bakara… like that damned bomb going off in the Kelphic Valley…”  Wrex growled and added, “If those damned Turians had killed her… well, let’s just say the war would have gone a completely different way for us all.”

“Well, it didn’t, Wrex.”  Bakara scowled at him and continued, “So there’s no sense in getting yourself all worked up over it.”  She flashed a toothy smile at Grunt and continued, “And, I imagine you are here to speak with our favorite Spectre regarding your continuing project on Garvug?”

“Yes… Dhazil.”  Grunt looked at the Spectre and nodded his head.  “I’ve got the Krogan under control… retook the Capital… and would be honored if you would come see it again.  I think you might be just as surprised about Dhazil as you were when you saw the City of the Ancients.”

“Seriously?”  Shepard glanced at Liara, who nodded enthusiastically in agreement.  Looking back to Grunt, the Spectre continued, “Then we’ll just have to make a point of swinging out in that direction and stopping in.  I’ll let you know when we have a date in mind.”

“Sounds good, Shepard.”  Grunt flashed a toothy smile.  “I’ll be happy to meet you there, anytime, with a squad of Aralakh in tow in case we decide to do a little hunting!”

 


	17. A Final Farewell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
> CO - Commanding Officer
> 
> FTL - Faster Than Light travel
> 
> VI - Virtual Intelligence

**Edinburgh, Scotland, Earth – 16 Jan 2189**

Gabriella Daniels Donnelly, having traveled to Edinburgh from the CGC only this morning, arrived at Kenneth’s family home in order to do a walk through.  After meeting with Spectre Shepard the previous Monday, she was having second thoughts about selling the place; Kenneth had been raised in this house and gone to school nearby.

Tonight, a Friday night, was the wake… and, come Sunday, Gabby would be attending the funeral of her soul mate and love of her life… her husband, Kenneth.  She felt her eyes begin to fill once again… _Damn it!_ … so turned her attention to the rather small living area on the main floor.  She felt the living and dining area would be adequate for the number of people she expected to attend.  There were two extra bedrooms upstairs, should one or two people need to sober up overnight.

While wandering somewhat aimlessly about, musing on her life to this point, she looked at the furnishings, photos on the walls, and many knickknacks Kenneth’s mother had collected over the years.  At Kenneth’s request, his mom’s brother-in-law and wife had maintained the house for him; they would be attending the wake but weren’t due to arrive until dinnertime.  Gabby refilled her glass with water as her omnitool lit up to announce receipt of a message.  _Good,_ she thought.  _Shepard and Liara have arrived._   She replied back with her location in the northeast corner of town, in a small residential suburb near Lochend.  _Lookin’ forward to seeing both of them again!_

\-------------------------------

Gabriella opened the front door, to be immediately engulfed by a pair of surprisingly strong arms.  “Gabby!  It’s so good to see you!  You are positively glowing!”  The Asari’s tight embrace was that of a sister, sharing in her loss.  She felt her eyes filling with moisture as she returned Liara’s hug just as earnestly; a soft kiss feathered across her cheek as Gabby pushed back.  Liara still clung firmly to the woman’s shoulders as she continued in a quieter voice, “You have my deepest sympathy…  I cannot begin to imagine how you must feel having him gone so suddenly; just know that Shepard and I are here for you, Gabby!  Whatever you need.”

“Thank you, Liara.”  Gabby sniffled and pushed a small, thankful smile onto her lips.  “I hope to not need anything more than what you are doing for me already…  I can’t thank you enough.”

Liara stepped away and her place was instantly taken by Samantha; another hug with a small kiss on Gabby’s cheek and a whispered, “Ken will be missed by everyone who knew him, Gabby.  I am so sorry for your loss.”  Eyes shining, the Spectre pushed back and gently grasped a pair of soft hands.  “Nothing we can say or do will make his death any easier to accept.  Just know you have a lot of friends that feel the same as Liara and me.  If there’s anything we can do… anything at all… that can make things easier between now and when you arrive on Thessia, please… tell us.”

Gabby made a supreme effort to rein in her emotions… she was tired of weeping every time someone mentioned Kenneth.  “Thank you, Shepard.  It’s really nice to have you and Liara here.”  With a slight smile, she eyed Shepard suspiciously as she added, “And if I know you at all, I’d be willing to bet you wouldn’t visit this part of the world without procuring a couple of bottles – or maybe even an entire case – of some very limited production single-malt.”

The Spectre laughed out loud at that.  “Not as much as I wanted to buy!”  Still chortling, she admitted, “I actually did manage to procure a few bottles of Bushmills but had to round out the case with a mix of other select, high-quality hooch, Gabby.  I’m gonna contribute a couple of _those_ bottles to the party, but I would really like to make it back to Thessia with the remainder of the case.”  Turning serious once more, she told Gabby of her conversation with Wrex.  “He offered to help, any way he could, Gabby.  He feels really terrible for you… that you’re a widow… and pregnant!  He told me he’s going to really miss Donnelly.”

Gabby nodded in solemn acceptance and was about to respond when she belatedly noticed a third person standing at the threshold.  Samantha Traynor had quietly waited for Shepard and Liara to greet the mom-to-be; she immediately moved to stand in front of her former crewmate and gushed, “My God, Gabby!  It’s wonderful to see you again!”  Sammi enthusiastically hugged her former comrade-in-arms before being pulled inside out of the weather.

Gabby wiped her eyes as she said, “Kenneth would absolutely love that you came to join the party, Sammi!  He always spoke about your bartending skills with great fondness.”

Sammi smiled softly, responding, “Well, I hope you remember me for more than that, Gabby.”

She had just finished showing the threesome around the house when the front door unexpectedly opened wide to admit Ashley Williams, Greg Adams, Steve Cortez, Karin Chakwas, Jeff Moreau and Sarah Campbell; tears that had threatened to fall when Shepard, T’Soni and Traynor arrived finally slid down her cheeks unimpeded as she was engulfed in greetings and hugs from all her former shipmates.  Of them, Adams and Dr Chakwas seemed especially happy to be there – it was as if they needed to see her – in this house – to confirm for themselves that _Normandy’s_ former propulsion engineer was dealing with everything going on in her life … her pregnancy and her medical leave, as well as Kenneth’s death and his impending funeral.

The door opened once again as all her former crewmates completed a tour around her small house, this time for her new best friend Tamiko Miyazaki, and of some surprise, her boss in the propulsion lab, Lieutenant Commander Fletcher Voight.  When asked, he admitted, “You’ll be gone for a number of weeks, Ms Donnelly.  Ms Miyazaki tells me you’re going to Thessia for the birth of your children, and I wanted a chance to see you in person so I can wish you good luck.  Just know there’s a workstation awaiting your return to the propulsion lab, whenever you’re ready to come back.”

Gabby embraced the man long enough to whisper in his ear, “Thanks, Commander… means a lot that you’re here today.”  Voight’s face had a touch of pink as he released her.  Technically, he was still her CO; he just as quickly realized that in this house, she considered him a friend.

Gabby introduced the pair to the rest of her former shipmates – they had already met Williams and Adams – and managed a smile as she watched an awe-struck Tammi greet Spectre Shepard and Liara T’Soni.  She showed Tammi around inside, then led her outside for a brief tour of her backyard.

“This is really nice, Gabby!” her friend gushed.  Keeping her voice low, she queried, “You’re not still thinking about selling this place, are you?  Fresh ocean air… grass under your feet.  It looks like a really nice place to raise your kids!”  Before Gabby could answer, Tammi said, “Come on… back inside out of this drizzle; don’t need you catching a chill that might turn into something worse.  I’ll start prepping the snack and veggie trays; oh, and I really hope you have a cooler full of beer!”

With a sigh, Gabby replied, “I think there’s enough alcohol inside to put most everyone… except Shepard, anyway… under the table by midnight!”  She ruefully rubbed her belly with both hands, saying, “Only thing I can drink is water or juice.  Hell, even if I was inclined to cheat, Dr Chakwas would put a stop to it before I could even swallow a mouthful!”

Tamiko grinned slightly at her friend’s grimace, countering, “You’ll have plenty of time and probably lots of reasons to get potted after your children are born.”  They strolled into the kitchen, where Gabby showed her friend where the party supplies were stored.

“Soon as I knew we’d be holding the wake here, I ordered what I thought I’d need for a party.”  Shaking her head slightly, she sighed and murmured, “Just hope there’s enough.”

\-------------------------------

“You’re a life-saver, Tammi!  I don’t think I could have pulled all this off by myself.”  Gabby was praising Tamiko’s skills at preparing snack trays – with veggies and cold cuts – and keeping the several small bowls filled with dipping mix and chips, along with various nuts, the most popular of which appeared to be those containing a mix of cashews, almonds and peanuts.

As the twosome carried yet another pair of serving trays to the dining room, Gabby gazed about at her friends, all enjoying themselves and reminiscing about their time in the Navy; for some, that included meeting on the _SR-2_ during the ship’s tenure as a Cerberus vessel.

By now it was dinnertime for most folks.  A light drizzle had been falling since late afternoon; it was now accompanied by tendrils of fog, and it was quite dark outside.  A knock on the front door drew Gabby’s attention.  _Hope it’s not gonna be the neighbors asking about all the visitors,_ came the thought.  She opened the door wide and was a bit startled to see an older couple standing under the overhang.  The man doffed his hat as he said, “You must be Gabriella.  My name is Eadan Matheson, and this is my wife, Heather; we’re Kenneth’s uncle and aunt.”

Gabby smiled in welcome as she extended her hand.  “Welcome, both of you – it’s a pleasure to meet you!  Please, come in out of the weather!  Let me take your coats.”  Conversations nearby went quiet as Gabby ushered Ken’s relatives… her relatives, into the house; taking their overcoats, Gabby looked at Shepard.  “Captain, this is Heather and Eadan, Kenneth’s aunt and uncle.”  Turning back to her guests, she said, “This is Spectre Samantha Shepard.  If you don’t mind, she can introduce you to all my friends while I put these away.  Would you care for some tea?… coffee?… something stronger?”

 “A beer for each of us would be just fine, Gabriella, thank you,” Eadan smiled.

“Perfect.  I’ll be right back.”  As an afterthought, she said, “And please, call me Gabby.”

Eadan nodded, then turned his attention to Shepard.  Gabby was somewhat amused to see the embarrassed fascination both of them had as they were introduced to Liara.  _Not many people in this part of the world have seen an Asari, much less met one in person._  After hanging up their overcoats, she retrieved a couple of beers from the cooler, poured them into a pair of ‘pint’ glasses and took them back to Heather and Eadan.

Matheson took the proffered glass, took a long pull of the contents and said, “Thank you, Gabby.  You didn’t need to pour it into a glass for me, but it’s appreciated, all the same.”  He took another sip, then said, “Tastes very much like the beer Ken’s parents used to serve.”

With a nod, Gabby replied, “That’s because it’s the same brand, Uncle Eadan.”  Glancing at Shepard, she innocently asked, “What tales from the war has my captain been sharing with you?”

Eadan looked down at his glass and his face flushed slightly as Heather supplied the answer.  “She was telling us that, outside of herself and Dr T’Soni, the relationship between you and Ken was the worst kept secret amongst the crew during the various wars.  She swears she once saw both of you hugging and kissing in the equipment spaces below main engineering!”

Gabby felt her face flush in embarrassment and seriously wished she had a drink in her hand at that moment.  Disregarding that possibility, she simply wished she had never asked the question and attempted – completely unsuccessfully – to explain it away.  “I… umm, that is, we were just, uhm, double-checking the thermal ducts.”

Shepard chuckled.  “Gabby, I believe the only thermal duct you were inspecting was Ken’s.  You two were so obviously in love with each other… I couldn’t help but to see it!  I’m actually surprised either of you managed to get any work done!”

Heather moved to embrace the mortified woman.  “Don’t you fret over it, Luv.  I think it’s really endearing.  Neither of you realized what you had, long after the rest of your crewmates knew you would end up together.”  She gently lifted Gabby’s chin and pulled her hands down from her face.  “Loving someone wholeheartedly is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about, my dear.  It’s just part of life.”

Caught out, she finally confessed.  “Kenneth didn’t believe Shepard noticed,” Gabby stuttered.  “I was so mortified, thinking she had seen us.  Now I discover she really _did_ see us!”  She shook her head at the revelation.

Shepard chimed in with, “You might remember it was me that encouraged Ken to pay more attention to you than the other women on the ship.”  With a chuckle, she added, “He finally admitted to thinking you possessed a nice pair of legs.”  This brought a much-needed laugh from everyone within earshot, except Gabby, who turned her eyes to the ceiling in silent supplication.  _God, what have I done?_

Her aunt placed an arm behind Gabby, saying, “Come on, then.  It’s been a long while since I’ve seen my sister’s old house.  Show me around your new home, Ms Donnelly.”

Gabby sighed good naturedly as she led the way to the dining room, and then the kitchen.  Her uncle watched the pair while thinking, _Aye, she’ll do just fine here.  I only hope she stays_ … 

\-------------------------------

**Edinburgh, Scotland, Earth – 18 Jan 2189**

Gabriella stared at the plain, black dress she was loath to put on, even knowing it to be a necessary next step in getting on with her life.  Kenneth would be buried in a private ceremony; she had planned to keep attendance small, limited to their closest friends… their shipmates on the _Normandy_ , several of Gabby’s co-workers from the Alliance Propulsion Research Center on the CGC, and the few relatives she had been able to contact.  Ken’s parents had died several years ago – a sky car accident, before the Collectors… before Sovereign.

 _I’m glad the wake is done and no one will remain to toast his health after the funeral service.  I no longer have to worry about how many will be passing out… or where!_ She chuckled at the mental image of the numerous people who had been sprawled on the furniture… and on the floor… after the wake.  Gabby was surprised she could still laugh; she had wept every single day since learning about her husband’s death on the _Normandy_.

She thought she was gradually gaining acceptance that he would never be coming home to her, until she saw or heard or smelled something that dredged up a memory, no matter how trivial.  She accepted that her pregnancy was screwing with her emotional stability, because she had never shed tears so frequently as she did now. _Never had to deal with the sudden death of someone I love with all my heart, either, so I guess that’s as good an excuse as any._

\-------------------------------

Immediately following the funeral, Shepard and Liara said their farewells.  “We’ll see you soon, Gabby.”  Shepard gently took the woman’s hands in her own.  “Everything will work out… and we’ll see you at the Estate in a week or so.  Just let us know when you’re ready to head our way and we’ll send a transport for you.”

Gabby wiped the last of the tears from her face and pulled Shepard in for a hug.  “Thank you, Captain.  I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you and Liara… I feel kinda lost.”

“No need for that, Gabby.”  Liara reached in and ran a hand across the woman’s back.  “You will have a home on Thessia for as long as you need or want.  You are always welcome to stay… though, I imagine, you’ll find your own path soon enough.  You’re strong.”

As new tears came to her eyes, Gabby pulled away from Shepard and turned to give the Asari a quick hug before pulling away from both of them.  “Thank you, Liara!  God knows my future right now is nothing but confusion and worry.  I still have to figure out how I’m going to support myself and two little ’uns on my own.”  She sighed and wiped the gathering tears away yet again.  “It’s good to know _someone_ has faith in me… because I seem to be lacking it, right now!”

“That’s crazy, Gabby,” Shepard chuckled quietly.  “You’re one of the strongest women I know… and that includes the likes of Admiral Hannah Shepard!  You’ll figure it out.”

Gabby blushed and reached out with both hands, taking one of each of the couple before her.  “I’ll see you both soon but, for now, I have to let you go… I’ve got things to do.”  A reluctant grin eked its way onto her face as she let go of their hands and took a step back.  “Besides, Riana is starting to fidget.  I think you’re supposed to have left by now.”

Liara glanced over her shoulder at her non-repentant First, who met her eyes expectantly.  “So, it seems.”  She looked back at Gabby and smiled.  “Stay well, Gabriella; we’ll see one another again soon enough…”

\-------------------------------

**At Large, Earth, Sol System – 19 Jan 2189**

“Alliance docks in forty-five minutes, Commander.”  Steve Cortez had just lifted the UT-47A up and away from the small, transient military docks at the site of the city’s old international airport.  After entering their destination coordinates into the flight computer, he energized the mains, then sat back in his chair as the flight control VI assumed the task of piloting the ungainly craft in a southeasterly heading over the M8 and A71 towards London. 

Traffic above and around the British Isles was moderately heavy as Cortez warily used his hands to shadow the VI’s piloting.  After several minutes, he received an acknowledgement from civilian controllers that his Kodiak was expected to touch down at the Alliance docks near Farnborough Field in thirty-five to forty minutes.

Their climb to altitude rapidly leveled out as the shuttle reached its assigned flight level of 2100 meters; their flight path would take them to within 10 Km of the city center before they’d be required to turn in a southwesterly direction for their approach to London’s joint commercial-military air and spaceport, located on the site of what had once been Heathrow Airport.  Cortez briefly glanced at Williams as he reported, “Thirty-five minutes to touchdown, Ma’am.”

Spectre Ashley Williams acknowledged his report as she watched the scene being displayed on the virtual viewport.  She and her crew were returning to the _Nalotir_ , docked at the Alliance shipyard; depending on her success – or failure – with finding a pair of specialists to replace Systems Engineer Donnelly and Propulsion Engineer Curt Manos, she might need to make a trip to the Western North America headquarters in Vancouver afterwards – before she needed to return to her job of investigating and eliminating pirate activity in Council space.

Lieutenant Commander Fletcher Voight, Gabby’s CO in the Alliance propulsion lab, had assigned an engineer to ride along on the _Nalotir_ as an observer.  Ashley needed permanent replacements for both men; an Alliance Navy personnel specialist at the CGC had suggested she might have better luck recruiting the people she needed from London headquarters, or in Vancouver.  That her lover was stationed in London was icing on the proverbial cake.

She must have dozed off for a few minutes, as she was surprised when the VI announced ‘five minutes to touchdown’ over the internal PA system, a warning to all to prepare for low-altitude chop as they slowed to less than 135 meters per second.  Everyone sitting in the passenger compartment fastened or rechecked their safety harnesses as a precaution against a possibly turbulent approach.

With Cortez still shadowing the VI’s control inputs, the shuttle eased down to an altitude of 30 meters as it made the final approach to their assigned docking space.  In less than the predicted five minutes, the VI gently eased the craft down to the concrete beside the _Nalotir_ and cut all power to the ventral thrusters and main engines, prompting a redundant announcement from Cortez.  “We’re back in London, Ma’am.”

\-------------------------------

 **London, Earth, Sol** **– 19 Jan 2189**

Williams was frowning slightly as she stepped out of the admin building.  The number of qualified Alliance personnel available here was no better than on the CGC, and the petty officer in charge had – after contacting her counterpart in Vancouver – glumly informed Ashley there did not appear to be any qualified engineers available on the entire west coast of the North American continent.

Shading her eyes against the brilliant glare of a rare, cloud-free winter day, she idly looked up and down the docks, noting that few vessels were in port as a new work week had just begun.  A flicker of movement in the sky caught her attention; she watched with interest as a tiny speck resolved itself into a very familiar shape that circled down to approach the civilian end of the docks.  _Can’t be,_ she thought.  _Still flying from here, instead of from a commercial dock?_

Hoping her instincts were correct, she began walking on the path that would take her past the nearby _Nalotir_.  By the time she had reached the civilian portion of the yard, the _Auxilium_ , for that was the ship’s name, had settled into its assigned space.  She cautiously stepped over and around cables, tie-downs and debris at the ship’s bow as a group of dock workers began to offload the freight pallets contained within the small vessel’s three cargo holds.

Overseeing the operation was none other than… “Storm Weatherly!” Ashley gushed.  “I’d have thought you’d be retired by now!  Don’t you get tired of always having to be on the go?”

The grizzled old captain turned at the sound of her voice, surprise and happiness evident in his expression.  “Williams?  Damn if you ain’t a sight for sore eyes!”  He stuck out an arthritic paw as he continued, “I could ask you that very same question, Commander!  Looks like you’re still in the Navy!”  He pumped her hand twice and asked, “You still gallivanting ’round the galaxy in that over-powered frigate?… the _Normandy_?”

Ashley’s grin lessened as she replied, “I was, until it took a Quarian missile in the belly out in the Far Rim.”  With a quick glance at her chrono, she said, “Got time for lunch?… my treat.”  The grin she received gladdened her heart; she had met Storm during post-war recovery efforts, when civilian vessels needed an Alliance officer on board in order to deliver freight to any military facility.  On her very first trip on the _Auxilium,_ she had met then Major Andreas Falk at Farnborough Field.

“Jus’ let me get finished up with this job, Ash.  We have a bit of time before we start loading out for the next delivery.  You wanna wait here, or?…”

“I’ll wait… don’t have anywhere else to go at the moment, and I really need to speak with you.”

“Okay, Ash.  Shouldn’t be long.”

Ashley nodded as she retreated away from the seemingly chaotic area; finding a nearby cargo box sitting by itself, she took a seat and composed a short message to Andreas, telling him she was going to be in London for the night.  Not wanting to impose such a short time after her holiday visit, she didn’t ask if she could share his quarters for an evening – just told him it’d be nice to have dinner together.  After sending her message, she watched the activity swirling in and around the _Auxilium,_ marveling at how well-orchestrated everyone’s movements seemed to be.  _Guess some sort of order gradually comes about after doing the same thing day-after-day._

\-------------------------------

Ashley had told Weatherly to choose where to have lunch; he had led her to a nearby café that seemed to be a mere hole in the wall of a large, still partially shattered building.  Repair work was being done on the far side, with the sounds of carpenter’s tools faintly arriving on the light breeze.  Inside, there were several booths along one wall, with a stool-lined counter on the other side of a narrow aisle.  Most of the stools were occupied by yard workers, speaking in quiet tones as they ate their lunch.  Storm groaned in relief as he slid onto a slick, vinyl covered bench.

Ash sat down opposite, then took a quick look at the menu to confirm what she expected was being served for lunch.  She ordered one of the two specials, to which Storm nodded as he did the same.  With a few minutes to wait for their lunches, the old captain leaned back and asked, “Okay, Ash.  What’s so important you’d agree to buy me lunch?  Not having relationship troubles, are you?  And what in Hell is this about the _Normandy_ taking a missile in the belly?”

Williams felt the beginning of a blush moving past her collar at his mention of her love affair with Dré.  “Not at all,” she grinned.  “Fact is, he managed to spring a real surprise on me for Christmas… flew my sisters and my mom here without telling me ahead of time!  First time we’ve all been together since I don’t know when… way before the conflict with Sovereign and the Geth, for sure.”  Taking a sip of water, she continued, “As for the _Normandy_ , that’s why I need to speak with you.  That damned missile killed both my engineers, Storm… and I need a replacement for each of them.”

“Don’t the Alliance assign personnel to that ship?”

With a small chuckle, she replied, “Both of those men were Alliance specialists, but the ship is owned by the Galactic Council.  As a Council Spectre, I can staff the ship with whomever I wish.  Hell, Spectre Shepard had a Turian weapons officer and a Quarian engineer at one time.”  Another sip of water, then, “So, do you know of anyone – military or civilian, Human or alien – that might be a suitable candidate for either a propulsion engineer’s or a systems engineer’s position on the _Normandy_?”

Weatherly frowned slightly before looking up as their server brought their lunches and beverages.  He silently shook some ground pepper on his clam chowder, took a slurping sip from the bowl, then sighed in contentment.  “Damn!  That’s good.”  Apparently lost in thought, he swallowed several more spoonful’s as Ashley applied herself to the large turkey sandwich in front of her.  She sipped her beer, cocked an eye at Storm and asked, “Well?”

The old captain stifled a belch, then looked up at her.  “Any objection to working with a Batarian?  Heard of a fellow… really crackerjack propulsion engineer.  Scuttlebutt has it he’s been working on a variety of vessels since 2158 or so.  Assigned to a Hensa-class cruiser, part of the fleet Ka’hairal Balak loaned to the Alliance after Councilor Udina turned traitor on the Citadel.”  Storm looked off into the distance, focusing on memories he hadn’t had to recall in a long time.  “Ship had to be abandoned over Earth… the guy made it to an escape pod… got picked up by an Alliance cruiser just before the fleet bugged out to Arcturus.”

Ashley finished her sandwich as she listened with a great deal of interest to Storm reminiscing.  After downing her beer, she asked, “This guy have a name?  And has he been working since the end of the war?”

Storm’s attention snapped back to his companion.  “Only reason I know about ’im is he worked on a freighter outta Omega until ’bout three months ago.  Disembarked on the CGC.  Haven’t heard anything about him since then, but he shouldn’t be too damned hard to find… not many Batarians on that station yet.  Name’s Garok Ferank.”

Ashley opened her omnitool, entered a credit transfer from her account to the café’s, then waited as Storm heaved himself to his feet.  “Couldn’t hurt to take a look for this guy.  If he’s good at his job and will take orders from a woman, that’s all that matters to me.”  She walked behind the captain as he followed a couple of his ship’s crew outside.  “So, no thoughts on a systems engineer?”

“Sorry, Ash.  I don’t know of a qualified person for that job.”  With a big grin, he stuck out his hand and said, “Thanks for lunch!  My usual lunch companions ain’t nearly so nice to look at, and they ain’t that generous, either.”

Williams grabbed his hand and pumped it twice.  “I’m glad I caught you in port, Storm.  Really good to see you!”

“You as well!  Say hi to that Brit for me – Major Falk?”

“You got it… and Andreas is a Lieutenant Commander these days.”  With a quiet laugh, she said, “Fly safe, Weatherly.” 

“You too, young’un.  You got a more dangerous path before you than me.”

\-------------------------------

**Guanghui Solutions Mining Facility, Feynman, Boltzmann System – 25 Jan 2189**

Shepard dove for cover for the third time.  “Gods be damned!”

Liara almost laughed, barely managing to suppress the urge, but Shepard picked up on it via the link, despite her best efforts.

“You think this is funny, T’Soni?”

Unable to refrain any longer, Liara laughed aloud, still giggling as she replied, “I’m sorry, Love… but, yes, I do.  What is he?  Sixteen, in Human equivalent, at best?  And that young Turian has the hero of the galaxy pinned down with nothing but a pistol!”

“That _pistol_ is a semi-auto, Cerberus M-358 Talon, loaded with heavy disruptor ammo, and it’s cutting right through my damned shields!  He’s already put three dents in my new armor, and it hurts like a son of a bitch!”  Liara’s joviality was contagious, and Shepard found she had to laugh at herself.  Smiling, she added, “And he’s damned good.  I want to try to recruit him, not kill him!  Otherwise, I’d just charge his ass and be done with it!”

“Seriously, _Nara_?”  Livos was honestly surprised at the Spectre’s reaction.  “He’s most certainly trying to kill _you_.”

“Based on what he’s yelling at us, it’s only because he thinks I’m a damned pirate…”  Shepard paused, thinking about what she had just said.  “And that makes me wonder if he simply doesn’t believe us… or maybe he doesn’t have a working translator?”

Catching her thoughts through the link, Liara replied, “That’s a real possibility, Shepard.  Perhaps we should have Tonan come down to talk to him?”

“That’s a good idea, Liara…”  Shepard immediately called up to the ship and explained the situation.  “Ask him to make it quick, Joker.  I’m tired of getting my new armor dinged up.”

Joker chuckled, the playful tone of the Spectre’s voice obvious, so he knew she was mostly joking.  “I’ll get him on his way, Shepard… as soon as we can get the shuttle spun up and out the door!”

\-------------------------------

Poor Tonan had to execute a combat jump, as the shuttle became the new target as Daxa Rusim attempted to deliver the Turian to the stand-off.  “Damn it, Shepard.  I’m not a combat specialist!  Why do you think I became a combat systems operator?”  Without pausing to give Shepard time to answer the purely rhetorical question, he continued, “So I could stay on the _ship_ , because I hate this shit!”

Shepard smirked, “I thought all Turians were ingrained with the whole duty and honor mantra?”

“We are… but it doesn’t mean we all get a thrill from getting shot at!”  Tonan snorted and his mandibles flared in disbelief as he retorted, “Not all of us are suicidal vanguards!”

At that, Shepard laughed outright.  “Point taken, Tonan.  So, can you tell me what the kid’s yelling?  And then, try to convince him who I am?”

“Well… he’s yelling some pretty advanced insults for a kid… not sure where he’s heard some of them…  I think his father must have been either a merc or an infantryman to have learned language like that!  And no, I’m not going to translate for you.”

“That bad, huh?” Shepard looked at Tonan with a smirk on her face.  “I guess that means I have to do this the hard way… or do you think you can talk him down?  We have to be home no later than Wednesday night and I still have to report to the Council before then.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Spectre… but no promises.”

\-------------------------------

**Edinburgh, Scotland, Earth – 25 Jan 2189**

Gabriela Donnelly knelt on a waterproof pad placed on the winter-damp grass at the foot of the freshly filled grave of her husband, Kenneth.  Tears filled her eyes yet again as she used her fingertips to trace the engraved letters on the small granite marker at her knees – _The greatest gift in life is love_ – words she had chosen while her mind was in a grief-stricken fog.  Yet today, she truly believed that Kenneth had whispered them in her ear when she had first entered his house… _their_ house, on the 17th.  _My God, Kenneth!  I never dreamed I could miss you so much!_

She had decided the best way to honor her husband’s memory would be to raise their children in his childhood home.  Being widowed while Kenneth was serving on a warship owned by the Galactic Council, Gabby would be the beneficiary of a modest, one-time death gratuity payment.  _How can I afford to leave the Alliance now?_ she mused. _I don’t want my children raised by the daycare system! That’s no life for a child!  I need to raise my kids_ … _Kenneth’s kids_ … _here_ … _in Edinburgh!_   She gave herself a mental shake and huffed.   _Just have to see what opportunities arise to meet me._

She had spent a lot of time thinking about what she wanted to do… how best to move forward… and still believed that making a clean break – with the Navy… with the Alliance – was the only way she would ever find any peace of mind.  She simply could not bear the thought of returning to the propulsion lab on the CGC, with the constant reminders of everything she had lost with Kenneth’s death.  One thing was certain: she sure as Hell wasn’t going to raise her children on a damned space station in the middle of nowhere.

She would be leaving Earth shortly, heading to her office to pack up the last of her personal belongings; then, she’d be traveling to Thessia for her maternity leave.  If everything went well, eight weeks after delivering her babies she would tender her resignation from the Alliance Navy… that is, assuming some opportunity for financial stability presented itself.  Thinking of resigning made her sad for another reason.  She had met Kenneth at the tech academy run by the Systems Alliance Navy; they had served together ever since graduation.

In spite of herself, she chuckled at the memory of his mouth derailing his Alliance career – he had nearly been court-martialed for his vociferous defense of Samantha Shepard after the _Normandy_ _SR1_ had been destroyed over Alchera in 2183.  As it was, the Navy discharged him for insubordination; she had immediately resigned in order to follow him when he joined Cerberus shortly thereafter.

Upon receiving pardons from Spectre Shepard at the conclusion of her campaign to eliminate the Collector threat, they had both been reinstated into the Navy; after the destruction of the Bahak system and its relay, she and Kenneth had spent the intervening months working on retrofitting the Cerberus constructed _Normandy_ _SR2_ to Alliance Navy standards for a stealth frigate.  They remained on the ship after it escaped Earth during the opening hours of the invasion, served for the duration of the Reaper war, through the nearly yearlong victory tour, up until she had become pregnant shortly after Spectre Williams had taken command of the ship.  And now… she took a shuddering breath of air… and now, Kenneth was entombed in the cold ground before her, the victim of a so-called ally.

A soft cough behind her brought her head around.  The driver of the X3M taxi she had hired in Edinburgh inclined his head as he said, “We really should get going, Ma’am.  Your flight is scheduled for a 1600 departure.”

Gabby smiled at the young man.  “Okay, Mr McMillan.”  Raising a hand, she added, “If you wouldn’t mind?”

Keir McMillan was only too happy to assist Gabby to her feet.  He felt really terrible that she was a widow, and pregnant, at such a young age.  Truth be told, he was a bit in awe that the young woman had served on the _Normandy_ during the Reaper War.  He assisted her to her feet, then picked up the waterproof pad and carried it along while she clung to his other arm for the walk across the wet grass of this cemetery.  She smiled and thanked him after he helped her sit down in one of the oldest X3M shuttles she’d ever been in… a 2172 C-111 Skyline.

Gabriela sat back in the worn seat and closed her eyes, remaining silent during the 20-minute trip to the nearby spaceport.  She reopened them when the speeder shuddered to a halt within a few paces of the main terminal building.  Before McMillan raised the canopy, she looked at him and said, “Please… you really need to get this speeder into a shop so someone can inspect the drive core.  I suspect the field coils are slightly out of phase; it’s causing a tremor in the anti-grav repulsors this thing depends on.  They’re going to fail entirely, and soon.”

McMillan’s mouth dropped open in shocked surprise as she was speaking.  When she paused, he asked, “How in the world would you know that?

Gabby smiled as she replied, “You know I served on the _Normandy_ … I was the chief propulsion engineer on that ship since its launch.”

The man nodded slightly as he replied, “Thank you, Ma’am.  I’ll see to it immediately.”  After assisting her out of her seat, he added, “Your bags are loaded,” he pointed to the closest UT-47, “… on that shuttle, Ma’am.”  Before walking to the spacecraft, she said, “Thank you for your help, Mr McMillan.  I really appreciate it.”

“The honor has been all mine, Ma’am.”  He gave her a final nod.  “Travel safe.”


	18. Moving On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CGC - Center for Galactic Cooperation
> 
>  _Grá mo chroí_ _-_ love of my heart (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Gráim thú_ \- I love you (Gaelic)
> 
>  _I_ _onúin Álainn_ _-_ beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
> 
>  _Mea’re_ _-_ “new tribal sister”, to address a tribal sister of a loved person (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
>  _Nara -_ literally "bearer"; one who shoulders others’ burden, aids others (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
>  _Shaari -_ Asari fruit, unlike any known Human ones, relatively sweet with a single central seed; grows in multiple temperate locations across Thessia and contains enough eezo to make it inedible except by persons with biotics
> 
>  _Siame -_ “one who is all”, a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian/Source: CDN)
> 
> XO - Executive Officer

**Guanghui Solutions Mining Facility, Feynman, Boltzmann System – 25 Jan 2189**

After an hour of attempted negotiation, Tonan shook his head in defeat.  “This kid isn’t giving in, Shepard.  I don’t think there is anything I can say that will convince him you’re actually Spectre Shepard, Savior of the Galaxy.”

“Gods be damned!”  Shepard attempted to peek around the barrier she was hiding behind, only to be rewarded with yet another shot pinging off the same barrier, mere centimeters from her head.  “Tell that boy I’m going to stand up… full view… no weapon in hand.  Tell him to look through his site, but if he takes one more shot at me, I’m going to charge him and tear his liver out!”

“Turians don’t have a liver, Shepard,” Tonan chuckled.  “Besides… If I do that and let you risk yourself that way, Liara will probably tear my guts out just to prove the point.”

Shepard’s scowl turned to a grin.  “Well, shit.  You’re probably right about that.”  She looked about her squad and asked, “Suggestions?”

Sellis Boni shrugged.  “I have already reminded you that I am an infiltrator, Shepard.  I still believe I can sneak in and take him from behind.”

“Absolutely not!” Livos responded without hesitation.  “That answer has not changed!  Without proximity scouting, we have no idea what kinds of traps or perimeter warning he has set up.”  Seeing Sellis about to protest, she continued, “No.  He is very obviously not your average, irresponsible youth.”  She looked to Shepard as she continued, “He’s survived a full-up pirate raid and held us at bay for hours, all on his own.”

“Only because we’ve been trying to find an ‘other-than-fatal’ solution for him.”  Shepard focused on Sellis and, in contrast to Livos’ disapproval, gave permission.  “Do it… but be careful.  Take your time and make sure you miss _nothing_.  We’ve just replaced two… I don’t have any desire to have to replace a third.  Understood?” 

With an affirmative response from Sellis, Shepard turned to Allia.  “Can you see him at all thought your scope?  Can you get a lock on target?”

“Only a sliver of the top of his crest, but yes.”  Allia glanced at the Spectre.  “However, it will provide only a distraction, at best.”

“That’s all we’ll need.”  Shepard looked again at Sellis.  “If we see any indication he knows you’re there, Allia will take the shot… and, as soon as that happens, I’m going to be blasting him into oblivion.  I’ll not risk you unnecessarily.”

Still staunchly believing they should have simply walked away as soon as the pirates had been dealt with, Livos scowled, “So you will risk yourself, instead?”

“It’s a minimal risk and we can’t leave this loose cannon out here.  The kid’s been traumatized; who knows who he might try to shoot next.” Shepard countered.  “If he’s concentrating on locating Sellis and then ducking away from a sniper shot, he won’t be thinking about the possibility of me being a Vanguard. Not at all… and, believe it or not, our XO agrees.”

Even though the plan was set and Liara was in favor of ending the standoff in the chosen manner, Shepard still warred within herself over what she was about to do… right up until the moment she needed to do it.  She heard Moises’ words about unnecessary risks echo in her head and remembered the promise she had made to Liara.  For the wellbeing of her crew, she knew it was what she needed to do but hated the whole actuality of destroying the life of an innocent victim; the senselessness of it all.

When the time came, it quite literally all happened in an instant.  The young Turian’s head popped up and snapped to the side in surprise, causing the sniper rifle of Allia Vasia to chuff.  Without waiting to see if it was a kill-shot, Shepard immediately launched herself across the incredible distance, smashing into her target without hesitation or remorse.  He slumped to the ground as Shepard snapped off the disposable silicon-carbide omniblade imbedded in the center of his chest.  Taking in the look of shock on the face of the lifeless young Turian, she shook her head.  “What a fucking waste of a life.  All he had to do was listen and think about what we were trying to offer.  Why couldn’t he just give us a chance?”

Sellis’ voice answered from unexpectedly close as she uncloaked.  “Because he was still thinking about the loss of his entire family, Shepard.  He didn’t dare… he was the only one left.”  She sighed and continued gloomily, “Both his parents are in the house, not just dead, but cut to shreds… as well as two sisters who were obviously… _ill-used_ … until they died.  I refuse to blame him for what happened here.  Whatever pirates showed up here were sick, enraged animals… and the responsibility for this outrage lies squarely on their shoulders.  You cannot blame yourself for this.”

Shepard’s eyes were like the blue ice of the deadly, mid-winter Thessian North Sea, shimmering with anger over what she saw as the waste of a young life so full of potential;  she glared at her infiltrator and responded, “I don’t need to assume blame to still regret and hate the necessity of having to kill someone.  We need to search out the particular pirate group who forced this outcome…”  Shepard glanced once more at the body of the young Turian.  “… and make sure they never have an opportunity to do anything like this ever again.”

Rather than shy away from Shepard’s anger and obvious frustration, Sellis walked up and placed a gloved hand on the Spectre’s shoulder pauldron.  “Knowing you and Lady Liara, that will happen sooner rather than later, _Nara_.  I have no doubt that will be the case.”

\-------------------------------

**CGC, Widow System, Serpent Nebula – 26 Jan 2189**

Senior Chief Petty Officer Tamiko Miyazaki, having accompanied Gabby to the VIP docks, found she hadn’t sufficiently clamped down on her emotions; moisture was filling her eyes and threatening to spill onto her cheeks as she stood in front of her pregnant friend.  “I’m really going to miss you, Gabby.”  Voice hitching slightly, she added, “Place won’t seem the same without you in the lab, sitting at your terminal, whispering to yourself.”

Gabby chuckled at that.  “I don’t whisper to myself… I’m simply talking to the computer, attempting to bend its programming to my will.”  Her grin slowly faded as she studied her friend’s face.  “And don’t you dare start crying, dammit!  I’ve cried enough to last a lifetime – for both of us – during these past few weeks…” she paused for a moment before ending with, “so, just… don’t.”

Tamiko forced a smile on her face while wiping her eyes with both hands.  “Because it’s you, I’ll try.  It’s just hard, ya know?  And I was hoping to see your babies when they’re born.  Spectre Shepard and Liara T’Soni are very special people… taking you in… providing all the services of a maternity ward, with doctors.”  She wrapped her arms around Gabby’s shoulders.  “Please don’t forget about me, Gabriela Donnelly… because I will never forget about you.”

Gabby felt her throat tightening.  Returning Tammi’s hug, she squeaked out, “I promise, Tammi.  I’ll stay in touch and send you lots of pics.”

Tamiko pushed back to look into Gabby’s soft brown eyes.  “Have you thought about names?”

“We discussed it a bit during the holidays but hadn’t settled on anything.  I’ll have plenty of time to consider what to name them while I’m sitting around not working.”  Shaking her head, she said, “Still can’t believe I’m taking leave from my job here.  Everyone’s been so kind.”  Grabbing Miyazaki’s hands, Gabby squeezed them as she whispered, “I wouldn’t have made it through all this without you, Tammi.”  As the woman began shaking her head in denial, Gabby grinned at her.  “It’s the truth, Tammi!  You’ve been a rock ever since I met you; I love you as if you were my own sister.”

Tamiko nearly lost her carefully maintained composure; with a slight giggle, she said, “You sure make it hard for me to not bust out bawling, Gabby!”

“Try thinking happy thoughts.”

Tammi nodded mutely; afraid to say anything more lest she actually break down, she directed her attention past Gabby’s shoulder, where several private spacecraft were docked.  She thought she could see a couple of Asari, one dressed in commando leathers, the other in clothing similar to that worn by Doctor Walsh, walking in their general direction, a hover-cart in tow.  Refocusing her attention on Gabby, she said, “I believe your ride is here; there’s two Asari at six o’clock, heading this way.”

With a quick glance over her shoulder, Gabby turned back to say, “You’re probably correct, Tammi.”  She moved to stand beside the Senior Chief, there to watch the pair walk up to them.

The leather-clad Asari spoke first, reaching out her right hand in accordance with human custom.  “Hello, Ms Donnelly.  I am House T’Soni pilot Luyna Veuss…  We met at the T’Soni estate in August, during the reception held after Spectre Shepard’s bonding with my mistress.”

Gabby, having been in the company of a number of Asari during her time on the _Normandy_ , brought both her hands out, palms up, in the traditional Asari greeting.  Momentarily dropping her eyes to her swollen belly, she replied, “I am pleased to see you again, Luyna.  And, please, call me Gabby.”  The pilot attempted to hide her surprise at the human’s actions; she placed her hands gently on those offered as Gabby inclined her head slightly and continued, “This is my good friend, Senior Chief Petty Officer Tamiko Miyazaki.”

Tammi offered her own hands to the pilot as Luyna replied, “Your knowledge of Asari customs honors me.”  She then indicated her companion, saying, “I believe you also met Doctor Alyna T’Lori during your visit, Gabby.  She will be your physician during your stay with us.”

Gabby nodded as Alyna placed her palms on Gabby’s hands.  “It’s really nice to see you again, Doctor T’Lori.”  She handed Alyna an OSD as she explained, “These are all my medical records since arriving on the CGC last August.  My obstetrician here is Doctor Kathryn Walsh; she asked me to tell you to call her… anytime you have questions.”

Doctor T’Lori smiled at her soon-to-be Human patient; after a quick glance at Gabby’s protruding abdomen, she grinned.  “I’ve been informed you are carrying two babies in there, Ms Donnelly…” Alyna paused a moment, then corrected herself.  “… Gabby.  I must admit, I am really looking forward to sharing this experience with you.”  Her grin widened as she admitted, “And I’m sure I will have a great many questions for you, and Doctor Walsh, before they’re born.”

“Doctor Walsh says Human physiology is not much different from that of the Asari, but she also believes that multiple births among your race is an extreme rarity.”  With a quick glance at Tammi, she looked back to Luyna and said, “I would really like to get off my feet.  If I may?”

Doctor T’Lori quickly grasped Gabby’s upper arm.  “I apologize.  We have several other passengers to transport; I will escort you to our vessel while Luyna locates them.”

Luyna glanced at Gabby’s companion.  “I would owe you a huge favor if you could stay with them and guide the hover-lift to the ship and make sure the bags are picked up?  It will save all of us time if I could start my search for Sha’ira and her acolytes immediately… Would you mind?”

“Not at all… and to pay me back, I’d love a quick tour of your vessel if at all possible.”  Tamiko smiled understandingly at the Asari’s hesitation.  “Not necessarily today, as I know you’re on a tight schedule… but I’m sure I’ll come to Thessia to visit Gabby at some point during her time with House T’Soni.”

Luyna smiled graciously in return, answering, “We have crew on board who can take care of that… and I’m sure something could also be arranged at the Estate, should you ever visit… maybe even a tour of our war frigates.  The designs are significantly different from Human ships.”  She grimaced and glanced toward the spaceport.  “I’m sorry… but I really must be going.  Thank you again for your help!”

As Luyna left at a trot, Tamiko picked up Gabby’s duffle bags and loaded them onto the hover-cart.  They were moving quite slowly, so it was only a moment before she found herself trailing along directly behind Gabby and the Asari doctor as they walked towards the ship.  Dr T’Lori was the one speaking as Tamiko closed to hearing range.  “I understand you will have the support of more than just the staff of House T’Soni, Ms Donnelly.  Sha’ira, along with six of her acolytes, will be traveling with us to the estate.”

Gabby, unable to think of an appropriate comment, remained silent as she walked towards a gleaming craft, obviously not of Asari design nor manufacture.

Noticing her look of confusion, Alyna commented, “That is the _Aletheia_ … Though of Turian design, it is the T’Soni Flagship.”  Upon entering the spacecraft, Alyna introduced Gabby to Nilis Irapso, who was acting as Cabin Steward for this trip… also the one who would ensure her luggage was secured.  As Nilis nodded in greeting and hopped out the door to assist Tamiko, Alyna escorted Gabby to the ships’ stateroom for the trip saying, “Our voyage will not be long but, as our guest, you may as well be comfortable for the duration of the journey.”

Gabby immediately protested, saying, “This is way too much!  I mean, really?  The captain’s personal quarters?”

The Asari chuckled at Gabby’s protest.  “As an honored guest, Ms Donnelly, you will be provided appropriate quarters.”  She had a playful grin on her face as she asked, “Would it make any sense for you to be sitting in the lounge while this space remains empty?  I did say the voyage would be short, but it will still be a few hours long. This space provides you the privacy to truly relax.”

Gabby finally nodded her head and sat down on a beautifully upholstered couch at the far side of the suite.  The doctor provided a glass of water and the expectant mother sat there quietly, admiring the beauty of the suite until the hatch slid open once more.  She watched in amused silence as Nilis escorted Tamiko, who was carrying Gabby’s travel bag, into the room.  Nilis politely directed, “Please be prepared to leave as soon as the Consort is aboard, we do have a schedule to keep,” before retreating from the room.

Tamiko looked about in wide-eyed wonder before setting the bag carefully on the deck just inside the stateroom entrance and looking at her friend, blurting out, “This ship is beautiful, Gabby!”  She then moved quickly to her friend, firmly nestled at one end of the comfortable couch, and crouched in front of her before adding, “You are in wonderful hands, Gabs, so I need to get going.  I still have to get back to the lab and see if I can puzzle out a way to move your research forward while you’re out of the office.”

Gabby’s arms came up immediately; grabbing her friend’s shoulders, she said, “I’m really going to miss you, Tammi!”  She kissed Miyazaki on both cheeks and released her, while attempting to keep from breaking down in tears once again.

“Nonsense!  You’ll be much too busy meeting lots of new people and preparing for your two little bundles of joy!” Tammi stood and placed her hands gently on her friend’s shoulder.  Voice breaking, she added, “Farewell, Gabriella!  Don’t forget me,” then turned and abruptly left the stateroom before Gabby could see how sad she had become at the idea of parting from her best friend.

Doctor T’Lori had silently watched their leave-taking and commented, “Never fear, Gabby.  You will see your sister again.”

Gabby’s smile was thin.  “We’re not family, Doctor T’Lori.”

“Nonsense, Gabby.  Family is who you make it.”  Alyna captured the Human’s eyes with a sympathetic gaze.  “The Asari have a word for that… _Mea’re_.  You were bonded through the Alliance Navy, so that woman is every bit your tribal sister… never doubt that.”

Gabby didn’t doubt Alyna’s words in the least… in fact, she was pleased that someone had noticed just how much she and Tammi loved one another.  _Leave it to an Asari,_ came the thought.  _They all seem to be sisters_.  “Thank you, Alyna… for giving me the word I needed to describe my relationship with Tamiko.  The Human phrase ‘best friend’ just didn’t seem to be… enough?  If you know what I mean?”

“You are most welcome, Gabby.  A shared, common purpose seems to pull people together in ways nothing else can.  Even among Asari, with all our long lives, finding a true _Mea’re_ is not to be taken for granted.”  At the faint sound of voices, Alyna turned her attention towards the passageway outside the stateroom.  “It sounds as if Luyna found our other passengers.”  She dipped her head as she apologetically added, “Please, excuse me.  I must welcome the Consort aboard.”

As soon as Doctor T’Lori disappeared down the passageway, Gabby tipped her head back and closed her eyes while listening to the distant conversations.  _Can’t understand what they’re saying_ … _must be too muted for the translator to pick out the words_.  She continued to listen as the hum of conversation gradually lessened.  Her ears detected the slight increase in air pressure, indicating a hull integrity test to confirm proper sealing of the airlock hatch after it was closed; a few short moments afterwards, the ship come to life under her feet as Luyna and co-pilot Fala Veya brought all the _Aletheia_ ’s systems to life.  _Thessia… Here I come!_

\-------------------------------

Even with her eyes closed, Gabby felt the subtle change that indicated another presence in the room; without moving, she eased her eyelids open slightly.  Standing in front of her was an elegantly dressed Asari… serene… graceful.  Gabby opened her eyes fully, eliciting a faint smile from her visitor.  “Greetings, Gabriella Donnelly.  My name is Sha’ira, and I am pleased to meet you.”

Gabby had shifted an arm and hand on the armrest preparatory to standing; the beautiful Asari waved a hand as she said, “Please, remain seated, Ms Donnelly.  Do you mind if I sit with you for the trip to Thessia?”

Motioning with her hand, Gabriella replied, “Please… be my guest.”  As the intriguing Asari took a seat next to her on the couch, she crossed one leg over the other, then turned her gaze to the graceful being beside her as she quietly added, “And you may simply call me Gabby.”

A faint smile returned to the light blue face.  “Very well… Gabby.”  She dipped her head in acknowledgement as she continued in a lilting, musical voice.  “I have been retained to provide you with whatever counseling you may desire.”  Sha’ira noted an instant look of puzzlement, mixed with defensive denial, appear on the young woman’s face, so continued quickly to explain her purpose.  “I am given to understand you recently learned of the untimely passing of your life partner… whereas the shock immediately triggered false birthing pains, such that you had to be transported to the hospital for emergency care.”

Gabby nodded slowly as she whispered, “Kenneth.”  Eyes instantly awash with unshed tears, she breathed, “He was the love of my life.”  When the consort remained silent, Gabby slowly continued in a tight voice.  “It feels as if his… death… took a piece of me as well.”  The Asari could see the truth of Gabby’s next statement.  With tears now freely coursing down both cheeks, she cried, “It’s as if my heart and soul has been ripped in two.”  A fist covered her mouth as she wept yet again for the loss of her children’s father.

To Gabby’s astonishment, Sha’ira reached over her swollen belly to grasp her right hand, then captured the hand closest to her and squeezed gently.  The Asari’s voice was as if silk were sound.  “My sweet child, that is exactly why I am here.  In a few, short weeks, you will be giving birth to two children.”  Releasing the hand closest to her, she reached up, softly stroking Gabby’s brown mane.  “Before you can lovingly welcome them into this realm, you must ease your sorrow and establish a clear mind.  Over the course of the next few days, I will instruct you in methods to help ease the pain of Kenneth’s sudden loss.”

Gabby quickly regained control as she relaxed under the consort’s caring touch.  “Thank you, Sha’ira.”  She gulped down a sob as the Consort’s contagious calm seeped into her.  “I’m having a difficult time leaving Kenneth behind… we’d been together for a long time.”  A sudden thought brought on a worried frown.  “You’re not going to wipe away my memories of him, are you?”

The Asari’s expression turned stern as she shook her head.  “Absolutely not, Gabby… that is something I would never do… to you, nor anyone else.”

“That’s a relief.”  Noting Sha’ira’s semi-frown, Gabby quickly added, “And I’m sorry for even thinking you would do such a thing.  My social interactions with Asari have been relatively nonexistent.  Even with Lady Liara and numerous commandos on the _Normandy_ during the war, I rarely saw her or spoke with them.  Everyone was just so busy trying to stop the Reapers… and staying alive; there never seemed to be time for anything else.”

Sha’ira nodded her head in a decidedly Human fashion.  “Lady Liara is actually the reason I find myself accompanying you… as she is the one who requested my counsel.  I have known Little Wing since she was a young child.  It will also be nice to spend some time on Thessia… particularly at the estate… even though I do believe Liara and Shepard are on a mission for the Council, so will not be on the homeworld when we arrive.”  At Gabby’s instant look of worry, she added, “Do not be alarmed, Gabriella.  Staff at the estate are all well aware of your imminent arrival, as well as the reason for it; they will do everything in their power to ensure you have a wonderful visit, whether Lady Liara and Shepard are there or not.”

Gabby let the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding out in a whoosh.  “That’s good to know.  I don’t want to be any trouble.”

Sha’ira moved the hand she had been using to stroke through Gabby’s hair to her right shoulder and pulled her in for an awkward embrace.  “Trust me… they are all looking forward to your visit, Gabby.  How could you possibly be any trouble?”

 -------------------------------

**T’Soni Country Estate, Thessia, Athena Nebula – 27 Jan 2189**

“Gabby!  Welcome to House T’Soni!”  Liara’s smile and welcoming hug made the very pregnant woman’s day.  “I trust you are being well taken care of and have settled comfortably into your rooms?”

“Oh, yes, Liara.  The staff has been positively amazing toward me.”  She blushed slightly as she continued, “I feel guilty over all the attention…  They’re treating me like a queen, with the rooms being the epitome of luxury!”

Laughing, Liara replied, “That’s because the birth of a child is very much celebrated within the Asari culture… and for you to be having two?  That’s an extremely rare event; one that has never occurred within our walls.  We are all very much looking forward to it… possibly more than yourself!”

Letting out a tired sigh, Gabby ran her hands over her bulging belly.  “That, I very much doubt.  I am more than ready for these two to remove themselves from my womb and quit kicking my bladder!”  She chuckled quietly as she added, “It’s like they enjoy making me have to pee every two hours!”

Liara smiled coyly at Shepard, a glance not missed by their guest, and responded, “I can only imagine what it will be like when we begin to have children.  I am very much looking forward to it, no matter how far in our future that may be.”

“Absolutely.”  Shepard grinned and put her arm around her bondmate.  “And compliments of so many extraordinary events and persons who have come into our lives, I’ll actually be around to help raise them!”  Looking back to Gabriella, she continued, “But… you first!  Is there anything at all you need?”

“God, no,” Gabby laughed.  “Everyone here has been positively wonderful!”

“Excellent.”  Shepard cast a meaningful glance at Liara before adding, “Then you won’t mind if we go up, take a quick shower, and get into something more comfortable.”

“Oh, no!  Absolutely not, Captain.”  Gabby grinned as she said, “But, I know darn well that you are likely just as comfortable, if not more so, in your uniform as you are in anything else you could possibly put on.”

Liara let out a hearty laugh as a similar grin appeared on her face.  “A truer statement has never been made, Gabriella Donnelly!”  A happy smile remained as she looked at their friend and added, “I, however, truly desire to slip into something more casual… so we’ll be back down in a bit, perhaps to share an afternoon tea and get caught up?”

“That sounds lovely, Liara!  I would love to hear about your latest mission and what the future holds for my most favorite Spectre Team in all the galaxy!”  Gabby entwined the fingers of her hands and supportively looped them under her belly, as if she was holding it up so she would better walk.  “In the meantime, I’ll search out your lovely chef, Leyana, and see what wonderful snacks she may have on hand!  Whenever you’re ready, you’ll find me in the den by the fire.”

\-------------------------------

**Spectre Vessel Nalotir, CGC, Widow System – 28 Jan 2189**

Ashley Williams heaved a sigh as she placed her back against the door panel that had just slipped closed behind her.  She bent her knees and allowed her upper body to slide down the door’s slick surface as she ‘jackknifed’ her legs, around which she wrapped her arms as soon as her butt touched the deck.  Turning her head to the left to look into her cabin, she pressed cheek and temple against her knees as she fought down the urge to weep.

She had just had an uncomfortable conversation with Legion on Haratar Station.  Repairs to the _Normandy_ were proceeding, but… _there’s always a damned **but** , isn’t there?_ SILC ship construction specialty units had determined the damage to the ship’s superstructure was more extensive than first thought.

Stress fractures had been detected in the ‘ribs’ – crossmembers – that formed the framework around the ship’s ‘keel’ – the backbone – a condition completely expected at the penetration site of the missile.  Unfortunately, the explosion, confined in the area below main engineering, had been directed forward of the impact site; this had slightly twisted the ship’s frame longitudinally to a point underneath the hanger deck, 45 meters beyond the main bulkhead and elevator.

Legion relayed that SILC Specialty units’ original estimated repair time of 60 days had been revised; discovering the actual extent of the damages meant an additional 35 to 45 days for repairs, as the exterior metal skin forming the pressure hull would have to be sectioned and removed in order to take out and refit the damaged frame sections.  The integrity of the pressure hull depended on the strength of those frame sections, and Legion was not about to release the ship back to Williams-Spectre unless he could personally guarantee it wouldn’t fly apart at the first insane hard turn Joker pulled.

She had chuckled at that, but now, alone with her thoughts, self-doubt was beginning to nag at her sense of well-being.  _What the fuck?  First, I leave my XO in charge of my ship and the Normandy got thrashed!  Then, we get the Nalotir and, try as I might, I can’t find a single replacement engineer willing to serve with me!  If Shepard was still Captain, folks would be falling over themselves to get a damned berth on that ship!_

Leaning forward, she pushed herself to stand, then moved to the small desk with its private comms terminal. _Not going to do me any good to wallow in self-pity.  I need to talk to_ … _someone!  But who?_ Of all the things she had left behind in her quarters on the _Normandy_ , one of the few items she _had_ brought allowed her to easily choose – a framed photo of Andreas Falk, taken during her Christmas visit to London.

Ashley activated the terminal without a thought as to local time at Farnborough Field.  Fingertips drummed a nervous tattoo on the desktop as she waited for the connection.  _Come on, Dré!  Pick up!_   As if responded to her mental prodding, the Systems Alliance logo on the screen cross-faded into an image that sent a hot spike of desire straight through her core.  “Ashley… what’s the matter?  It’s only been a couple of weeks… something wrong?”  His disheveled appearance told Ashley he had most likely been sound asleep.

Falk was quite perceptive when the subject of his attention was Ashley, causing her to mentally kick herself for not checking her expression while she waited.  “Sorry, Dré… it’s been a long, disappointing day at the end of an especially brutal few weeks – enough so that I’m questioning why I’m even in command of a damned warship.”

Falk silently studied her image for several moments before softly replying, “You have my full attention, Commander.  Talk to me.”

Thinking, _My God!  How I love you!_ she shook her head and explained.  “We had such a short time together, I didn’t want to talk about work… but I ended up having to kill an admiral, Dré… Han’Gerrel… point blank with my shotgun.  I know being directly responsible for his death shouldn’t bother me, especially since he was trying to plant a dagger in my ribs, but I’m feeling some regrets.  That look in his eyes when he realized the wounds to his chest weren’t survivable?  I was responsible for that.”

“Wasn’t he the one guilty of causing Westmoreland’s death during the war?”  After a brief pause, he added softly, “It was Gerrel that attacked you after the surrender… he attempted to shove a knife in you because you epitomize all those that refuse to let them reenslave the Geth.”

Ashley frowned as a single tear escaped the corner of her eye.  “That’s him… his actions caused Westie’s death, just as surely as if he had personally sliced her suit open.  No one on my crew ever forgave him for firing on that dreadnaught while Shepard’s team was still on board.”  She shook her head.  “He refused to accept the SILC as equals in our new, Reaper-free galaxy.”

“So, what’s the problem, Ash?  You’re a Council Spectre… sounds to me as if you acted well within your mandate to mete out justice however you chose to do so.  Han’Gerrel may or may not have deserved to die for his crimes, but you were certainly not obligated to allow him to kill you so he could continue to flout Council rules.”

“You’re correct… but there’s a lot of other things running through my mind.  I’m just… I’m the Captain!  I’m not sure I should have left the _Normandy_ in order to lead an assault team on Gerrel’s ship.  Leon is a great XO.  Knowledgeable.  Well-liked by the crew.  I mean… maybe I should have stayed on the ship and assigned _him_ to lead the assault.”

“As I said, I’ve read the reports, Ashley.  The _Normandy_ was hit by a specialized missile… one of two, actually; two crewmen died.”  Andreas cocked his head slightly.  “Rensch isn’t a Spectre, Ash, and he doesn’t have Council authority, so it had to be you on that Quarian ship.  You were right where you needed to be.  Don’t ever doubt that for a moment!”

“But my crew members, Dré… one man left behind a pregnant wife!  She’s carrying twins, for God’s sake!”

“I don’t mean to sound callous, but he would be just as dead if you had been aboard, Spectre.  Reports I was privy to say no ship, of _any_ kind, built by any race, could have escaped those missiles once they locked on.  It’s probably a good thing that Admiral Xen chose to end her own life.  I can’t imagine what trouble she would get up to if allowed her freedom.”

He concluded by asking, “Ashley, what would you have done differently?  Would your presence on the _Normandy_ have made a single bit of difference in the outcome?”

Ashley hung her head.  “I don’t know.”  With a heavy sigh, she whispered, “No… I guess not.”

“You were exactly where your training and position required you to be, Ms Williams.  You were a Marine gunnery sergeant before transferring to the Navy.  You have a unique set of skills.  Don’t beat yourself up over the loss of Donnelly and Manos.  Their deaths are unfortunate, but you are in no way to blame for that.  The Quarians – and Daro’Xen vas Moreh in particular – are the real villains here.  Focus on that… focus on the fact that Xen and Gerrel will never have the opportunity to see how the Quarian’s creations… their children… will continue to evolve and grow in the coming decades and centuries.”

Ashley managed a thin smile.  “You’re right, Dré, but that’s not all.  I’m also having a hell of a time getting replacement crew…  It’s like no one wants to work with me.  I had lunch with Weatherly during a quick stopover on the 19th; he was able to point me towards a propulsion engineer.  Not that it matters to me, but the guy is Batarian.  Last known location was here on the CDC… he was between jobs.”

“Lunch with ol’ Storm, eh?  Strange… I never heard from you that Monday.”

Williams chuckled; the sound of which brought a huge grin to Andreas’ face as she replied, “This isn’t about us, Dré!  You did hear me say _quick_ before _stopover_ , didn’t you?”  She heaved a sigh.  “I suppose my next stop will be the _Orizaba_ so I can meet with Admiral Lindholm.  I haven’t been doing a damned thing for the Alliance since all this crap with the Quarians began.”

“You’re a Council Spectre in command of a Council-owned deep-space reconnaissance vessel.  I realize it’s a cooperative effort with the Alliance, but…”

“But, most of the crew on board are either Marines or Navy… including both of the fatalities.  A visit to the admiral is a formality, but one that must be observed.  I’m still a commander in the Navy, Dré… unlike Shepard, I haven’t resigned my commission, and I don’t intend to.”

Falk smiled at her statement.  “You resigning from the Navy is not something I want to see, Ash.  He paused for a moment to consider his words.  “Ashley, you need to travel to Arcturus… go to the new station the SILC have constructed there.  Have a meeting with Lindholm, see where you stand with her.  I seriously doubt she’ll demand your resignation just because you’re a Spectre, and she may be able to assist you in finding a couple of engineers.”  With a laugh, he concluded, “There has to be a few on the _Orizaba_ that would jump at the chance to work on the _Nalotir_ , especially if they’ll be working on the _Normandy_ once repairs are completed.”

Ashley smiled at that.  “Sounds like good advice, Dré.”  She paused for several moments… there was so much more she wanted to say, so many things she wished he knew.  Finally, she looked straight into a pair of bluish-gray eyes and said, “Thank you for allowing me to disturb your sleep… and thank you so much for simply knowing just what to say.”  Ash huffed and gave him a genuine smile, saying, “I feel better.” 

“No problem, Ashley.”  Her stalwart supporter cast her a huge grin.  “And I don’t give a bloody damn if you call me at 0230 in the morning.  I’ll take any and every chance I can get to see your face… though I do feel compelled to add that I’d prefer it be in person again and not over a vid.”

Ashley managed a small, husky laugh.  “You do realize if I was actually standing there, your face would probably be buried in my hair while I hugged you.  I really miss having you near, Dré.  Our last visit was much too short.”

“Agreed.”  Andreas grinned back at her.  “I love you, Ashley Williams.  Don’t ever doubt that!”

The Spectre felt her eyes fill to overflowing as she gulped back a sob.  “You made me feel so much better, and now I’m crying for a different reason.”  She placed a hand on the screen as she managed to squeak out, “I love you forever, Dré!”  With that, she terminated the connection before she completely fell apart.  _Damn it!_

With a heavy sigh, she rose from her desk and stepped into her tiny restroom to wash the tears from her face.  She checked her image in the mirror and discovered she needed to do a more thorough job, as her mascara had left dark tracks down her cheeks.  _I ought to just forget the damned face paint!_   After thoroughly cleaning her face, she shed her SDU and crawled into her berth.  _Just need to sleep._   For the first time since sleeping in Falk’s bed at Christmas, she fell asleep nearly as soon as her head touched the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** See Ch 6, for details on Ashley’s Christmas in London with Lieutenant Colonel Falk.


End file.
